The 2011 Winter meetings is scheduled to begin next Monday Dec. 5 in Dallas, TX. So far the off season as a whole around MLB can be described in one word, “slow”. The Red Sox, Cubs, White Sox, Reds, Angels, Brewers and Cardinals all have yet to do much this off season similar to the Mets who other than the minor league signings of Valentino Pascucci and Vinny Rottino have yet to address the 2012 season.
One of the items the Mets need to address still is center-field. The free agent market being rather slim when it comes to center-fielders the Mets have been reportedly planning on offering Angel Pagan arbitration. While Pagan may be better than the free agents available another option still available to the Mets is to acquire a center-fielder via trade.
The Mets outfield for 2012 right now looks like it will consist of Lucas Duda in RF, Angel Pagan in CF and Jason Bay in LF. Duda though while he had a good 2011 season is really a left fielder forced to play right field due to Bay holding the LF spot. If only the Mets could add a center fielder, lower payroll and move Duda to his natural position via a trade.
There is a team in MLB that recently resigned a starting center fielder and has a need for some power from their corner outfield spots this off season who may have a young center fielder the Mets may want to consider. That team is the Cleveland Indians
With Grady Sizemore back in Cleveland to play CF in 2012 can the Mets convince the Indians into trading the young Michael Brantley to them for Jason Bay? Not with Bay making $32M over the next 2 years but what if the Mets pay half of Bay’s salary?
Bay would give the Indians a right handed bat and at $8M over the next 2 years rather than $16M. Can the Mets convince Cleveland that a return to the AL in a more hitter friendly park may be worth a gamble with Bay?
In return the Mets get the Left handed hitter Brantley to play center field and bat lead off under team control for the next 5 years and shave $16M off payroll over the next 2 years. They also move Duda over to his natural position left field leaving them with Duda in LF and Brantley in CF and RF remaining to be filled.
What are your thoughts? Let us know.
4 comments
SaltyGary
11/28/2011-8:07pm at 8:07 pm (UTC -4)
Not that I’m against just getting Bay out of town, I feel adding Brantley would be adding a cheaper Pagan. He doesn’t hit for power, k’s more than walks but has a little speed. I think I would rather hold my breath for a miracle.
Anonymous
11/28/2011-9:34pm at 9:34 pm (UTC -4)
You still going to keep Pagan in this situation?
And my guess is that it would take about 10 mil per to do this.
I do like the out of the box thinking.
Billespos
11/28/2011-11:57pm at 11:57 pm (UTC -4)
If you were the indians don’t you think you could find a better way to spend 8m each of the next two years while also giving up a prospect?
Anonymous
11/29/2011-12:53am at 12:53 am (UTC -4)
Mr N, check out Brantley’s minor league stats and his clear improvement in 2011. He surely has not yet proven he is as bad as Pagan.
No way the Indians would do this deal if we paid ALL of Bay’s salary.
Fantasyland my friend.