The Mets have discussed injured starter Zack Wheeler in trade talks with more than one team, although it remains unlikely that they will actually deal him, Andy Martino and Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News report. One team with whom the Mets reportedly discussed Wheeler was the Reds, although there do not appear to be any active trade talks between the two clubs.
Wheeler pitched 185 1/3 strong innings in his first full season for the Mets in 2014, but underwent Tommy John surgery in March. There’s no reason the Mets couldn’t deal him — the Padres’ inclusion of injured prospect Max Fried in their offseason deal for Justin Upton shows how a team can trade an injured young pitcher for a veteran. While Mets GM Sandy Alderson said earlier this week that the team would not trade any young pitcher currently in the Mets’ rotation, Wheeler is, obviously, not currently in the Mets’ rotation.
Wheeler is 25 and still possesses plenty of upside, so if the Mets were to trade him, the return would surely be considerable. As Martino notes, even if a Wheeler trade is unlikely, the fact that the Mets are discussing him suggests the team could be hoping to land a top hitter at the trade deadline. In the past week, the Mets have been connected to hitters like Ben Zobrist and Josh Reddick, although it does not appear a trade for either one is imminent.
Prince Fielder straight up for Wheeler. You take the contract and get an elite bat. We will take the hurt pitcher with upside.
It’s a nice thought, but there’s no way on Earth the Mets would take the contract. It would be good for both teams though.
Keep in mind the Tigers are still on the hook for a large portion of Prince’s deal as part of the trade to Texas.
Also keep in mind the Mets are one of the stingiest teams in baseball when you consider their market. No judgement, I have no idea what their finances look like, but he’s owed 18 million a season for the next 5 years (24 million-6 million paid by the Tigers). Rangers would probably have to pick up at least half of his remaining salary to facilitate a trade.
Yes, that’s why they would have to trade 2 pitchers for controllable players in return, not big salary players.
The Tigers are on the hook for 30 of the 168 million owed since the trade (2014-20) payable over 2015-20. I wouldn’t call 17% that “large” or a portion
Take Duda so i don’t have to look at him anymore and ya got a deal.
Still holding out hopes for Tulo and Blackmon.
They might actually do that. Would clear some money to help the tight wads in New York pay Prince’s salary.
Wow, now that’s a nice deal right there for both teams.
I like this deal! I will take it.
If the Mets played with the DH I would consider it. Since they don’t, no.
Jay Bruce of the Reds is the only one that makes sense. I guess Chapman could make sense also, but not really. I mean the Mets surely wouldn’t be trading for Cueto or Leake.
Cargo makes sense too. He’s absolutely steaming hot at the moment and finally healthy. Still only 28 or something. Makes more money than Bruce but the Rockies have a much better farm than the Reds and have replacements ready, so may be willing to sell for less. Wheeler for Cargo and some $$ is a good deal.
I was just referring to the reports of the Reds being involved when I was talking about Bruce. Of course there are others on other teams that could fit as well. However as a Rockies fan, I would cringe a bit at a CarGo for Wheeler deal especially if the Rockies had to send money. CarGo is just getting back to good health and turning it on. I’d rather keep him.
The only thing that makes sense to me is for the Mets is Wheeler for young controllable position players either established or prospects.
Only if the Rockies take Cuddyer back in the deal.
Cargo is injury prone. I would do Montero for Cargo straight up, but I am sure Rockies would want outfielder in return
Rockies have plenty of OF. They can get through this year (and who cares, really) with what they’ve got on the active roster. They’ve got a few studs a year or so away, and they can actually sign FA outfielders (unlike pitchers).
I’m sure you would do Montero for Cargo straight up. Hey perhaps you could also turn Daniel Murphy into Clayton Kershaw or deal the remainder of Bobby Bonilla’s contract for Mike Trout also.
I have 2 moves to put the Mets in the playoffs and make them a balanced team. One trade Harvey to the Dodgers for Pederson and Seager, second trade Wheeler to Cubs for Baez and McKinney or Volgelback. This gives the Mets four controllable players who can fill major weaknesses
The Dodgers and Cubs would laugh as they hung up the phone and blocked all future calls from New York.
lol dodgers aren’t going to trade pederson or seager. Dodgers farm system has alot of talented pitchers coming up. Besides they want a rental that’s going to cost them less.
No, probably not but it would give them another controllable ace which is what they need in the playoffs. Kershaw, Greinke, and Harvey would be tough to beat in the playoffs.
Harvey seems he isn’t well liked in the clubhose. There’s something about him he complaints too much. Another puig attitude, i would have syndergard or degrom
Funny thing about trades…both teams need to agree on the players involved. The Dodgers wouldn’t do that trade under any circumstances. Ever.
Is it me or have their been more video game proposals on these comments than in years past?
Cubs maaaaaybe consider this given that Baez sttruggled so badly in the bigs but there’s no way the Dodgers even consider parting with those two. Depending how many years of control Harvey has you may get them to part with Urias but I doubt it
Bruce for Wheeler would have been interesting. Obviously, Frazier would have been perfect (although I assume Wheeler wouldn’t be nearly enough to acquire him).
While Wheeler may not be enough to land Frazier, he’s a hell of a centerpiece. I can’t imagine Cincy passing on Frazier for Wheeler + Lottery ticket or 2.
Bruce is lefhanded bat, and a Strikeout Machine, they already have enough of those in their lineups with Duda and Granderson.
How about Cespedes for Montero and Dario Alvarez?
I would love to get Cespedes. Wanted him when Red Sox were looking to deal him in the off season for Murphy and one of the arms. I know the Mets aren’t happy about not getting something in return, draft pick, if he signs with another organization and I think that would kill the deal.
you do realize that its not just Cespedes. No rental player can be given a qualifying offer if traded.
Cespedes deal has a clause that will not allow the team to get a QO at the end, I believe. That’s why Oakland traded him
I agree with you William. Bruce doesn’t fit the bill for the Mets.
I think acquiring Carlos Gomez should be the goal for the Mets. He provides insurance for Lagares and Cuddyer, can hit, steal and play good defense. I wouldn’t hesitate to include Wheeler who was up and down before his injury if we could snag him.
Orioles will give you Wieters, Davis, and Matusz/Hunter for Wheeler + minor league bat. Or Wieters and Davis straight up for Wheeler.
There rentals they’ll cost less than wheeler.
Right, but considering how desperate the Mets are for production at Catcher and Corner Outfield it would certainly help.
If they would give up wheeler, they’ll probably want someone for a year of control atleast
Interesting idea, but what would the Mets do with all those players?
Zobrist for Wheeler would no doubt be fascinating. Considering the Sandy-Beane connection, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Zorilla in Queens.
Mets won’t give up Wheeler for a rental or non controllable player.
I wouldn’t do that if I were the A’s either. Wheeler will be 26 when he pitches again, and will likely have to take the entire season easy in the minors, making 27 the earliest he can pitch in MLB. The A’s could just get a 22-year old first-round draft pick.
Most MLB pitchers coming off TJ pitch in the majors the next year, although nothing is certain. Wheeler will be in his prime all things considered and can be at least a good #3 pitcher for most teams.
For some reason I thought Wheeler hadn’t pitched in MLB before. Yeah, he would probably just require a few starts in the minors. You’re right.
So you think a late QO pick has a good chance at being superior to Wheeler? Why do fans these days assume a QO pick is anything more than it is?? All draft picks are lottery tickets.. The closer to #1 you get the better your odds but by the time the QO picks roll around every team in baseball has had a chance at the players available.. Wheeler went 6th overall and has the talent that should be associated with a pick that high.. QO picks should be called what they actually are.. Early 2nd round picks.. But they want fans to get excited about them so they call them late first round picks..
Well, a 20th round pick has the CHANCE at being superior to Wheeler. You’re also assuming he’ll bounce right back to form after TJ surgery.
Next season there are a ton of high quality free agents, and teams will lose their first-round pick for signing them.
I don’t see any draft pick as a guarantee, and I don’t consider any prospect or TJ victim a guarantee. Drew Pomeranz was a 5th overall pick and he’s just a random reliever. It’s just what I would do, and there is absolutely no way to prove I’m right or wrong without waiting 5-10 years.
Rental or control aside, trading Wheeler for Zobrist is asinine.
I think the Uribe/Johnson additions, and the call-up of Conforto, probably represent the Mets’ entire deadline plan. It’s not exciting, but it is probably prudent. They’re somewhat better at minimal cost, without reaching into their stock of top-shelf young pitchers. there was a case to be made for more dramatic acquisitions, based on dealing someone like Wheeler. But the moves so far tip their hand that they’re staying conservative instead.
The Mets are messed up right now, 2 hours before yesterdays game they said that Neise wasn’t pitching and then he pitched. Now they bring up Conforto and trade for Johnson a leftfielder and thirdbasemen while Uribe plays third. Looks like they will send Conforto back down soon.
Maybe it’s just me… but I have this feeling AJ Preller is going to do something totally insane before the deadline.
but underwent Tommy John surgery in March. There’s no reason the Mets couldn’t deal him
Well, if that is the case, why can’t the Orioles trade Dylan Bundy?
While, he doesn’t have almost 200 innings like Wheeler does…but still….
He doesn’t have as much trade value as he is worth. Bundy has had quite a few injuries the past few years and is signed to a MLB deal. That means (if I remember correctly) that he must be placed on their 25-man roster next year despite not being ready. Teams aren’t gonna give up a lot to get him because the risk is too great, which makes him more valuable to the O’s than anything he’d fetch in a trade.
Yup. Bundy is out of options next year I think. He really has no value at all, and in fact (strange as it may seem) unless he really aces Spring Training the O’s may have to DFA him.
Maybe Brock Holt for Zach Wheeler could make sense? After Uribe and Johnson being acquired yesterday, it mightn’t make as much sense as it once did, but Holt is extremely versatile and could help the Mets all over the field. Also he is cost-controlled for the next few years. In return the Red Sox would get an injured but highly regarded pitcher who also happens to be cost-controlled too.
Gotta think it would take more than Holt. He’s versatile sure, but not exactly worth that type of arm. Not sure what else the Sox would have that the Mets would even want. Holt, Napoli and Victorino and 5-6 million?
Holt is on his way to being the next version of Zobrist.. His versatility makes him more valuable than you would think.. Just my opinion but I wish the Yankees had Holt.. A player like him with a bat that doesn’t just take up a spot in the lineup like Drew’s would help them tremendously this year.. I could just be a super utility fanboy though.. Not sure on that one..
Holt is a good trade chip for a contending team, if the Mets got another mid level controllable player its a done deal for Wheeler.
Holt’s valuable true, but Wheeler’s a number two starter. I think Holt is probably the poor man’s Zobrist. He’s a better player than Zobrist this year, but he’s missing the power that Zobrist typically has. I think Holt would get the conversation started on Wheeler, but it would take another piece and I don’t think the Sox have another piece that could be agreed on.
You missed two very important words in your assessment. Wheeler’s a number two starter, when healthy. The recovery from TJ surgery is very good, but it is not 100%. Holt is a jack-of-all-trades, master of none kind of player, but he is still a valuable utility guy. Holt + a guy like Deven Marrero is a fair deal for an injured Wheeler.
I wouldn’t trade Wheeler for a Zorbist or a Reddick! Thanks but no thanks!
Carlos Gomez and Jean Segura for Wheeler and Nimmo. Maybe a smidge more.
Wheeler doesn’t interest me at all in a deal for Gomez and neither does Nimmo. Wheeler is starting to become one of those guys that has the talent to be a good, but just can’t stay healthy. Plus his ceiling is starting to look like a #3 as opposed to the ace he was pegged to be. Also not interested in Nimmo, not because he’s untalented, but for the fact that the Brewers (looking at whole organization) are arguably the deepest at that position. Mets don’t seem like a match when it comes to a Gomez deal.
This story makes zero sense to me. Everything they’ve been doing for the last few seasons has been pointing them towards 2016 and beyond. They’re pretty much as good as they thought they’d be this year. Trading Wheeler at his absolute lowest value makes no sense. I would be absolutely blown away if they moved him.
They have a healthy pitching staff and are within a few games of a playoff spot. You never know how things will go next year, especially if the strength of your team is pitching. They need to go for it now, without trading any of their top 5 starters. So Wheeler is the perfect candidate. His value is not that low.
A) Explain to me why they ‘need to go for it now’. I don’t see it. They’ve had a ton of injuries this year and have several young players who should be up next year making an impact (Wheeler, Matz, Conforto for a full season, d’Arnaud, potentially Cecchini, Rosario, Herrera, etc). They’re built for 2016 and beyond. Plus, the Nats will probably look a lot different next year. Anything the Mets do this year is extra. I mean, they’re barely over .500 and have actually outperformed their Pyth W-L. They need patience and small moves.
B) His value might not be that low, but it is absolutely *Wheeler’s* lowest value. It’s the definition of selling low.
The opportunity to win comes so rarely it makes no sense to not try just because it doesn’t fit your timetable. ON PAPER, they are built for 2016 and beyond, but things don’t always work out. Cleveland and Boston were the early picks to win their divisions, because, on paper, they looked good. Why waste an opportunity that you can’t be sure will be there next year? They have pitching depth and can afford to trade.
They’re barely above .500. They have pitching depth, but they need it. Matz is out, Wheeler is out, Harvey just came back. You don’t deviate from a long term plan on the outside chance that you just might make the playoffs.
I’m a huge Mets optimist, but they should not be selling out their future for this season. It’s not worth it. Smaller moves, like Uribe and Johnson, are the way to go.
But also, again, this is Wheeler’s absolute lowest value. It makes no sense to trade him.
My MLB the show trade of the day:
Gray, Vogt, Reddick, Clippard, Olson & Zobrist for Syndergaard, D’Arnaud, Duda, Herrera, Wheeler, Nimmo & Montero.
LET THE DOWNVOTES COMMENCE! lol
We are all now dumber for having read that proposal.
Mets don’t want to win for another 80 years.
Hanley Ramirez or Pablo Sandoval for Wheeler. We’ll eat most of the contract(s) as well.
We’ll? Are you picking up part of the tab? It’s easy to just give away $100 million dollars of someone else’s money, but I have a feeling that Boston’s owners will want a little something for their 6 month old investment.
lolz…both have (or soon to be) albatross contracts.