Mets Trade Gonzalez Germen To Yankees
After designating him for assignment (DFA) to make room for John Mayberry, Jr., on the 40-man roster, Gonzalez Germen has been traded to the New York Yankees for cash considerations.
Good deal for the Yankees, who can use all the pitching depth they can find, and were able to acquire a decent arm in return for something they have in surplus — money.
Will the Mets miss Germen? I don’t know. He showed flashes, but I never saw him as anything more than 6th-inning filler. We saw that he is a sinker/slider guy who can be effective in short spurts; he kind of reminds me of Jorge Sosa or Fernando Nieve. At the age of 27, Germen probably “is what he is.”
But was it worth it to drop Germen to make room for Mayberry? Hmm … I guess I’d do that, straight-up. The only other players on the 40-man that the Mets might’ve DFA’d instead, I’d guess, would’ve been Wilfredo Tovar, Cesar Puello, Cory Mazzoni, Erik Goeddel, or maybe Eric Campbell. I can understand why all of those players were kept. Puello and Campbell are the backup plans to Mayberry; Mazzoni and Goeddel have options, are a bit younger, and possibly more upside than Germen; and Tovar is the only true , defensively MLB-ready shortstop in the organization behind Ruben Tejada.
What say you? Will you miss Germen? Would you have preferred the Mets drop someone else? Sound off in the comments.
In the last couple of days the Mets impotence when it comes to swinging a deal has never been more apparent, as their NL East counterparts wheel and deal major and minor league players. Is it any wonder people don’t go to Citi Field?
I think Campbell is viewed more as a backup infielder by the team now, and more specifically a backup 3B / 1B who can give Wright a rest and spell Duda if Cuddyer is hurt, which is a distinct possibility given his history.
In this connection, a couple questions:
Question #1: Does Campbell have options remaining so that he can be optioned to AAA at the start of the season? I just checked Campbell’s stats and he wasn’t quite as good last season as I thought he was, so maybe he is relegated to the minors if he has options remaining.
Question #2: If Campbell doesn’t make the team and Flores is the starting SS, who is the backup 3B? Flores slides from SS over to 3B and Tejada plays SS? Or Murphy slides over from 2B and Tejada plays 2B? Both of these options are a bit odd in that you don’t usually see full-time, every day starters being shifted if a starter at another position needs a day off.
But I think the OF is:
Granderson, Lagares, Cuddyer, MDD or Niewenhuis, Mayberry (five OFs)
But maybe I’m wrong / maybe that’s not how the Mets view him at this point.
I also think we’ll see Flores moved around the infield, and/or, if Flores establishes himself as the everyday shortstop, we could see Tejada moving around.
And of course, there’s Murphy, who can play 1B, 3B, and LF as poorly as he does 2B.
Mayberry is being billed as an OF/1B option, but, as long as Cuddyer is healthy (hmm…), I don’t see Mayberry playing much first base, as he’s probably the better defender in the outfield.
Assuming the Mets don’t add another infielder (Stephen Drew?), Terry Collins will have plenty of below-average defensive options — is that a good thing or a bad thing? If nothing else, the Mets players are versatile.
I do think the Mets will need a 9th reliever more than they’ll need Mayberry, though. If the Mets weren’t going to buy an elite platoon guy, I’d have been happy to go with a raw athlete with upside. Mayberry is a uniquely uninspiring middle ground. Meanwhile, I bet the Padres are ready to unload Carlos Quentin for cash.
Again, I see some Jorge Sosa in Germen — tantalizing talent that never quite produces over a sustained period of time. At the same time, I am VERY curious to see Germen under the guidance of Larry Rothschild, who didn’t get enough credit for the Yankees’ ability to stay in the hunt last year. Take a look at the pitchers available to the Yanks last year and tell me how the heck did that team finish in second place in the AL East? Maybe something to do with leading the AL in fewest BB/9 and best K/BB ratio — is that all skill, or is some of that philosophy and management of talent / putting people in place to succeed?
Agreed on the Rothchild factor. Not to make the a Yankee blog, but the Germen acquisition is a no lose and the Eovaldi was a good get, even at the cost of Prado. Rothchild may well help these two harness their flashes of potential and become consistent above average players. I wish the Mets could make some interesting additions like this. Not every addition needs to be a big name to upgrade the team and gain some fan interest. What a boring offseason for the Met brand.