The Mets are being aggressive at the Winter Meetings, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post, talking about everyone except David Wright. Among young players, the Mets are talking the most about Jonathon Niese rather than Davis, tweets Sherman. Niese, 25, is under team control through 2015 and could be an alternative for teams that find Oakland's asking price too high for Gio Gonzalez. Here are today's rumors on Niese and other Mets trade candidates, with the newest updates on top:
- Teams have been inquiring about Mike Pelfrey as well, but the Mets were underwhelmed by the offers, tweets Martino.
- The Mets would like a placeholder starter for their big league club in addition to a prospect for Niese, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post and Sherman (Twitter links). Sherman points to Jason Hammel as a possible match, though Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter) hears the Rockies haven't had discussions with the Mets.
- The Red Sox aren't a match for Niese, says Alex Speier of WEEI.
- The Padres aren't interested in Niese, a source tells Martino (Twitter link).
- Andy Martino hears the Mets would have to get a lot if they were to trade Niese, and aren't close to anything. Two team officials that spoke to Martino don't expect a trade today (Twitter links). Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger adds, via Twitter, that the asking price for Daniel Murphy is also high.
- The Blue Jays are also talking to the Mets about Niese, tweets Sherman. The Yankees have also called, but Sherman isn't sure how serious they are (Twitter link).
- The Mets are hoping to get multiple pieces in return for Niese, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network. They're interested in adding a catcher, an infielder, and prospects.
- The Red Sox have talked to the Mets and have interest in Niese, says Sherman.
- The Padres and Rockies are among the teams interested in Niese, tweets Sherman. The Padres could get in on Niese but have not engaged yet, adds Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Michael Perri
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Guest 5797
Yes, the Mets are officially on crack.
oleosmirf 2
not really. The Mets have another two years of being in 5th in the NL East. If you can get a top prospect or two for him then by all means do it.
Would give the Mets some of the best collection of top young arms in the game
slider32
R you kidding!
CitizenSnips
Another? They haven’t been in 5th since 2003, though I know what you mean.
CitizenSnips
Another? They haven’t been in 5th since 2003, though I know what you mean.
HateTheCoupons
Not even sandy is this stupid, is he?
Bluejaysnation
would be very smart for the Mets to unload Niese and Wright. They’re in full rebuilding mode .
TDKnies
Say wha? Why would the Mets trade Ike Davis? He doesn’t even start arbitration for another year or so!
notsureifsrs
it would make sense to me if they were selling everybody. but keeping wright while selling players like davis is all kinds of backwards
Bluejaysnation
Agree, as long as they can get full value out of Wright they should unload as soon as possible.
sec3mysofa
Of course they’re being aggressive–they’re in New York.
Jojostopten.com
Ike Davis?! He is one of the few Mets I would actually want them to keep.
MadmanTX 2
The Rangers like Ike?
Rangersfan32 2
I don’t know why. Seems to me he’s no upgrade over the Moreland/Napoli/Young trio. And I’d like to see Texas move Mike Olt to 1B. He could take Moreland’s spot soon and Moreland could be a nice trade chip.
okbluejays
I’d LOVE Davis on Toronto.
101andcounting
I’d like him in Chicago
Blue387
Chicago needs a lot of things.
101andcounting
Let’s be honest here, we both do.
3rdStrike
Can’t argue with that
Mark Hildreth
Somethings wrong here, why trade a 24 year old 1st baseman when you’re rebuilding? They have to know they’re rebuilding right?
101andcounting
They’re contending, actually. The Mets believe that they’re just one or two pieces away from a playoff berth.
YaGottaBelieve11
This would be an enormous mistake.
Sage
Brewers had best be in on Davis. If the Mets are serious about trading him, Brewers need to make an offer.
mookie_and_doc
interesting…but if they’re going to be aggressive, why aren’t they discussing Wright. I do believe selling on Davis right now is smart, despite the fact that he was hurt.
Joe Valenti
why is it smart? he has the possibility of being a top 5 1st baseman and being paid the league minimum
Crowned_59
You better not trade Ike he is the last thing I got!
Kyle Haker
Seriously? Ike Davis is going to be great why would they trade him?
grownice
Because he’s going to be great.
mikefichera
yeah, he might one day be good and then the mets would have to extend him.
CommonSenseMets
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
All Day Réy
This is a joke right?
Sampsonite168 2
Who would play 1B? Makes no sense.
guydavis
Duda or Murphy I suppose. But you’re right, it makes no sense. Guess it means they’re serious about keeping Wright though.
Andrew Leno
The Mets would be so foolish to trade their only real player with potential…
supersteve1492
you gotta be kidding me! this has got to be a joke. look ike Davis is young, cheap, and was injured. Do not trade Ike Davis!!! When wright leaves he will be face of the franchise
GasLampGuru
Ike Davis would be a STUD playing half his games in Arlington Stadium. He’d help balance out a predominantly right-handed hitting lineup, too. Interesting.
Kevin
Baltimore needs a left handed hitting 1b. Make it happen DD!
WonderboyRooney10
Well take Machado then, thanks
OhthePossibilities
You can have Brian Matusz.
WonderboyRooney10
Well take Machado then, thanks
Diego Garcia
This would be an EPIC mistake.
arb01
I would trade Ike for gio
NYBravosFan10
No way this is true. Isn’t Ike Davis supposed to be a huge part of their rebuilding efforts?!?!?!
Magorphenger
The Mets, after failing to compete in Davis’ absence, feel it to be in the club’s best interest to trade away a big reason why they failed to compete.
That’ll show him and his ankle
All Day Réy
These rumors are gonna give me a heart attack one day.
CommonSenseMets
Troll Sherman strikes again.
CommonSenseMets
Troll Sherman strikes again.
TDKnies
Yeah, not to brag or anything but… We all called it. Go MLBTR community!
TDKnies
Yeah, not to brag or anything but… We all called it. Go MLBTR community!
BVHjays
Seems like this may not be true, but just since it got me excited, could the Mets logic be (in the hypothetical universe where this is true) that Lucas Duda is capable of handling 1B, and that Ike is the piece that can get them the most value for the start of a big rebuild?
chemteck29
Ike isn’t going anywhere, relax guys!
Zach Sklar
Are you kidding me!??!?! The ONE player they should NOT be discussing is Ike Davis!!!!!!!!! This kid is already a star and he’s only 24 years old. What is going on here???? The concept of re-building is to keep young players that can help you win games. Unless we get 3 can’t miss prospects back, then Ike Davis shouldn’t even be dangled on the trade front. Ughhhhh!!!!!!!!!
Dirty
WRIGHT FOR HANLEY?
Dirty
WRIGHT FOR HANLEY?
Jay
Davis rumors are not true
Jay
Davis rumors are not true
Jay Steyer
I could see this happening if the Mets could get back one of the Rangers’ good young pitchers or two. 1B would open up for Murphy or Duda and 2B could then be manned by Josh Satin and probably Reese Havens around the All-Star break. Losing quite a bit of power, but with the shorter fences at Citi, maybe Murphy could be a 20 HR guy.
Rangersfan32 2
You can have Scheppers.
Jay Steyer
I could see this happening if the Mets could get back one of the Rangers’ good young pitchers or two. 1B would open up for Murphy or Duda and 2B could then be manned by Josh Satin and probably Reese Havens around the All-Star break. Losing quite a bit of power, but with the shorter fences at Citi, maybe Murphy could be a 20 HR guy.
alxn
Seems like every Sherman “rumor” gets shot down 15 minutes later
SheaGoodbye
I don’t know why anybody would believe a rumor like this lol. I’m sure they’ve had discussions about Ike, but definitely nothing serious.
Michael A
Oy. How can your criticize the idea of trading Ike Davis if you don’t know what they would be getting back? What if they are getting a comparable talent, at a position where the Mets lack depth? Lucas Duda can play 1B. He’s not as good as Ike defensively of course, but he is more of a liability in RF.
A trade has two parts. You need to know both before you can evaluate it.
guydavis
The Mets are in rebuild mode and Ike is a young, cost controlled and very talented player. Just not the type of player you’d trade when rebuilding. Same goes for Niese and we need him even more with our lack of pitching depth.
NYBravosFan10
No way this is true. Isn’t Jonathan Niese supposed to be a huge part of their rebuilding eff…oh, nvm.
Joe L
The Mets had better not trade Niese or Davis.
Fooshnik
Ike’s a cool dude too! He should stay and so should Neise, he keeps getting better and he has a presence on the hill.
Freddie Morales
Why are they opposed to trading wright??? They should definitely trade him if they get a decent offer for him. They have a 3b replacement in murphy. Maybe trade wright and prospect or 2 to miami for Hanley. He doesnt want to play 3B, the mets need a SS. Win Win.
Jay Steyer
As a Mets fan I would NEVER do that trade. Wright is a class act that hustles all the time. Ramirez has had issues with almost every manager he has had because of lack of hustle. This trade would be a disaster for the Mets.
guydavis
I remember making this face :O when Hanley made an error and jogged out to LF to grab the ball against the Mets last season. GKR’s reaction was priceless.
slider32
Wright can’t be in the Mets future plans, they will dump him mid year. Alderson will hope to get another top prospect for him like they did with Beltran.
Joe L
Mets wouldn’t be adding prospects for Hanley lol
Sampsonite168 2
Sounds like Sherman is making stuff up. Says Davis being seriously discussed, is quickly rebuffed, then says “Oh wait no it’s Niese now. I just found this out I swear.”
MetsMagic
The only way they are trading Ike Davis is if it’s to the Mets for Ike Davis.
AtticusModi
Chuck Norris even knows that the only person you trade Ike Davis for is…Ike Davis.
ritz
Joel Sherman is a huge troll. As soon as he said this quite a few beat writers shot it down. I don’t even understand why they’re trading Niese. Yeah, on the surface he doesn’t look that great, but his underlying stats show something pretty good there. He’s had an mid-low 3 xFIP the past 2 seasons and his peripherals improved last year. K/9 went up, BB/9 went down, GB rate went up.
John Ladalia
Do not let Davis leave! He is the future of this team but Niese I am okay with leaving but would prefer Pelfrey to move
Ale
Me too. Big Pelf needs a change in scenery and 200+ innings is somewhat valuable.
Dececchij1
Niese to rockies for a young catcher, and a minor league starting pitcher, or the the Padres for one of their young hurlers in the pen.
Ale
I thought the Mets already filled their pen yesterday?
Dececchij1
Mainly, although I can see them still possibly adding another lefty to join Byrdak, and also if they DFA Carrassco.
Blue387
What can Sandy get for Mr. Met?
diehardmets
WTF is going on? Why would they be willing to move Ike or Niese but not Wright? That is exactly the opposite of what they should be doing.
Seriously, I have no idea why any of these moves are even being considered.
mikefichera
its called economics, demand for lefty starters are astronomically high mets trying to capitalize get a few other pieces maybe slot in harvey in the rotation.
Tko11
Wrights value is low and they still have control of him for 2 seasons. With the walls coming in this season they hope his offensive numbers get better and come next offseason they can trade him for a bigger return.
diehardmets
This is very reasonable, and I imagine it is what they are trying to do. That doesn’t mean that they should be shopping Niese or Ike. If they shop anyone, it should be Wright, whether he rebounds or not.
chemteck29
Niece has more value right now than Wright,…..sad but true!
guydavis
Shouldn’t the Mets be ADDING starting pitching?
MShowerhead
Niese isn’t the most durable pitcher, I’m not totally against it. It really depends on who they get.
Larry Bowa said that the Mets should look into picking up Kelly Johnson, a 2B with pop. We could probably get a decent return from an AL team for Murphy… maybe Murphy and Niese for a package of prospects?
cbbruuno
Davis and Niese are really the only 2 players I would really love to see stick around because I think they both have great futures. Now these rumors. Maybe Niese if they get something really good in return but do you really have faith in that possibility? It is becoming more and more painful being a Mets fan. IMPEACH WILPON!
Joe L
Joel Sherman= wrong. Mets are not trading Niese unless they can sell really high and get a lot back.
William Lappe
I think the intriguing part is he is left handed, that’s why I would love the Yankees to go after him. I don’t think he’s a #2, but I could be wrong, don’t really know much about him. Rumor is Mets are looking for catcher (Cervelli) infielder (Laird) and prospects (Phelps?) Any feedback from Mets fans on that? Carear 4.39 ERA, does that sound reasonable?
Dececchij1
Yeah that sounds reasonable Niese can easily slide in as your number 3 or 4 but alot of Met fans may feel his potential is a tad bit higher. Cervelli is alright, but i think i’d rather have the two prospects you mentioned.
William Lappe
I meant all 3 for Niese. I read somewhere the Mets were looking for a defensive backup. Maybe not a long term option in Cervelli, but he is definitely a capable backup. Doesn’t have a spot on the Yankees with Martin/Romine/Montero
Jose Zepeda
Wright for Hanley lol
HateTheCoupons
No need to LOL that!!! I’d trade that scrub Wright and his .254 average in a NY minute! Hanley had a bad year but the last 3 years for Wright have been mediocore at best. Including his 29 HR season
wsj217
The Mets are not considering trading Ike Davis…..he’s not available for Arb yet…..its a marketing scheme so that you can forget the Mets on not re-signing Reyes….They ultimately didn’t want to resign Reyes from the get go……The Niese rumor is true……His value I think is at its peak.
icedrake523
Apparently the Mets are shopping Niese because of his work ethic, attitude, and conditioning.
Hellobrooklyn 2
How often are young left-handed starting pitchers made available, especially those with talent??? Rarely. The Mets are idiots. Unless Niese is apart if a bigger package and traded fora much better player or somehow Sandy gets a blue chip position prospect and a young stud starting pitcher he needs to be fired,tonight. Where in money ball does it say trade your younG left handed starters for propects that you have no clue how their going to turn out. Niese may not be an ace ( yet?) but he has the potential and is currently good enough tone apart of any rotation. Why on earthwould they trade him. He’s under control and has control. The Meta are idiots
Joe L
Calm down. Keep in mind what teams have gotten for young, cost-controlled starters. Remember when Haren was traded to Arizona and people bashed Oakland, until they realized Oakland got Carlos Gonzalez and Brett Anderson? Take a deep breath.
Ale
It the Mets get Romine and Phelps (or someone else) that’d be a pretty decent trade.
BillB325
Barney, Castillo, McNutt, and a fringe guy?
altosax29b
ew
Bob George
Too much. Barney and a fringe guy, but not McNutt.
diehardmets
Nice try. You can keep your crap prospects though.
TheMagicIsBack
Hanley for Bay
andrewmets9
in a heartbeat
jaydh
This could get interesting… lets see what Sandy can pull off.
R.D.
Hah, lIke Davis, I see what you did there.
Yea, really bad idea unless the return is HUGE and full of prospects but why wouldn’t they wait till at least Pujols and Prince are off the table?
I see them better off trading Murphy/Turner who should get reasonable returns. I’d love to see Turner as a Brave personally. Just seems appropriate.
Bob George
I must admit I haven’t seen Niece pitch much, but his career stats look like a league average pitcher. Does he have really good stuff and just hasn’t put it all together yet? I don’t recall him making any impression on me when he’s pitched against the Cubs the last 2-3 years.
jaydh
He basically just tired in the second half last yr. Had a 3.88 era through the first 19 games. Has a nice curve.
Jessamynn
3.88 era IS league average.
(League average era among starters was 3.94).
Patrick
be wary if the blue jays are interested. they just robbed the sox of a good closer.
$5427573
shhhh!
Hellobrooklyn 2
I admit that if a deal can be made with the blue jays for one of those awesome catchers they have, I’d be excited. D’arnaud or Arencibia straight up would be awesome Besides these two the Jays have some other prospects. Syndergaard ,Marisnick. McGuire is ready now. AJ Jimenez is another decent catching prospect (jays are loaded with catchers) Nicolino is a good replacement from the left side,so is Daniel Norris. Anthony Gose and Matt Dean are decent position prospects. The jays are loaded
Jon Stark
Pretty sure that there is close to no way the Jays move Arencibia, D’arnaud, or Gose in a deal for Niese. Those pieces, if they were going to be moved, could be used to get a pitcher with a much higher ceiling.
Moving Jimenez or Perez would be more reasonable.
NYYANKEES
Marlins better hope they are future champions because all this spending can get real ugly soon. I know from many experiences that I see Yanks involved in.
SRT
I don’t think Loria cares. He’ll take a couple/three seasons with high revenue, then sell the team. It’ll be someone else’s headache when they moved to the back end of those contracts.
Bluejaysnation
Everyones jumping on them trading Ike but reading the article looks to me like they threw his name in but it doesn’t sound like the Mets have any plans dealing him.
slider32
It looks like the Mets will be a last place team for years to come.
andrewmets9
check their farm system. 4 potential aces ready in a year. obviously not all of them will pan out but that is still ridiculous.
nyr4life
the mets were underwhelmed for offers for mike pelfry?………he’s a pretty underwhelming pitcher! hahahaha!
ILikeIkeDavis
Trading Ike Davis would be a huge mistake. What does that leave the mets to build around? Justin Turner? Niese is 25 and lefthanded you better get something huge back for him. By huge I mean a C and a starting pitcher. Niese and Bay to Yanks for Montero and Burnett.
chee1rs
Mets = race to the bottom
chee1rs
more disinformation out of the Mets