Mets Rumors: John Ricco Predicts Trade Will Happen
Recent New York Mets rumors center around assistant general manager John Ricco, who predicts the Mets will make a trade prior to the deadline.
New York Mets rumors will continue to run rampant through the MLB Trade Deadline August 1st. The Mets are right in the thick of the playoff race in the National League, as they are within striking distance of the Washington Nationals still in the NL East, and 0.5 games behind for a spot in the Wild Card.
Despite that, the Mets could use some shoring up in a couple of areas. The lineup could use a jolt, as the Mets have one of the worst offenses in baseball with 357 runs on the season; that places them only ahead of the rebuilding Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies.
The Mets could also use some insurance on their pitching staff. With Matt Harvey sidelined for the remainder of the season after shoulder surgery, and Zack Wheeler‘s return constantly pushed back, the Mets could use another arm in the starting rotation. Logan Verrett will hold down Harvey’s spot for now, but adding another arm to the back end of the rotation wouldn’t be a bad move.
The bullpen could also be in for some shuffling as well. Last week it was rumored that the Mets were shopping around for middle relief help, with the San Diego Padres Ryan Butcher and Brad Hand being mentioned, along with the Oakland Athletics John Axford and Atlanta Braves Chris Withrow.
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If the Mets cannot find a trade partner to help aide their bullpen, they won’t have to look far for help. In Triple-A the Mets have Josh Edgin, who has worked his way back from Tommy John surgery and could find his way onto the major league team if the bullpen continues to sputter.
Many Mets fans would like to see the team make a move this summer to improve the team’s outlook for the stretch run. The front office was able to make it happen last summer, when Yoenis Cespedes, Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson were all acquired to upgrade the lineup.
While the Mets will probably not make an impact trade for someone such as Cespdes this season, a trade does seem likely to happen if you ask assistant general manager John Ricco. Ricco believes the Mets will make some sort of move in the next eight days to help bolster their roster.
“I would guess we’ll do something,” Ricco said. “…We’re definitely looking at bullpen, trying to get some depth there and add to what we have already.”
Manger Terry Collins has a handful of options he can rely on, as Jeurys Familia and Addison Reed lock down the end of games, while Jerry Blevins has provided outstanding situational pitching. Hansel Robles looks to have put his rough May behind him, as he has allowed only five earned runs since the calendar turned to June.
But, Collins doesn’t have much else to turn to out there. Antonio Bastardo was signed as a free agent away from the Pittsburgh Pirates but has struggled thus far this season. Adding another veteran to the mix would make sense, as Collins cannot rely on three or four guys every night.
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But, the real problem for the Mets once again is the offense. At least Collins knows he has multiple guys in the bullpen that can get the job done; the same cannot be said about the lineup. The Mets lineup has potential but there isn’t enough consistency. If they want to make another run to the World Series, the offense should be the No.1 priority on the trade market.