More Mets On the Move?

With the trading deadline less than three days away, and Carlos Beltran off to San Francisco, one has to believe that the Mets are still wheeling and dealing — despite the public poker face displayed by Sandy Alderson. So what other Mets could be on the block?

We already covered Chris Capuano, and to reiterate, I can him moving on to Cleveland, Detroit, or possibly Arizona.

Next on the list is Tim Byrdak, as seemingly everyone can use a LOOGY and Byrdak has been adequate in that role — which in 2011 is pretty good. The most obvious possible landing spots are the Yankees and Red Sox, though just about any contender could be bidding. What would he return? Probably not much more than a single-A or AA prospect. But that’s better than nothing, and I remember way back when that the Red Sox traded a young AA first baseman named Jeff Bagwell for situational righthander Larry Anderson.

Even more coveted are setup men and closers, and Jason Isringhausen has shown he can fill either role. Enough with the nonsense of Izzy tutoring Bobby Parnell and Pedro Beato — if there is a good deal out there, Izzy is as good as gone. The Rangers, Rays, and Diamondbacks would seem to be suitors, as well as the Phillies, Brewers, and possibly the Yankees. And even though they acquired Octavio Dotel, the Cardinals could be in the mix as well.

As much as I’d like to see him stay, I think the Mets have to consider dealing Ronny Paulino, who is in the midst of his best season since 2006. There is buzz that the Mets would prefer to hold on to him since he’s under control; the only way he can be a free agent is if he’s non-tendered. But I think this is a case where one might want to sell high. Paulino will turn 31 shortly after Opening Day 2012, and catchers tend to fade more quickly than other position players as they get into their 30s. Further, the Mets have done a great job of limiting Paulino’s exposure to righthanders thus far, so his stock is pretty high right now. Both the Giants and the Pirates are in the market for a catcher, and since the Giants have already been a trade partner it’s possible they could be one again. As for the Pirates, they are familiar with Paulino (he came up with them) — which can be a good thing or a bad thing. Paulino is also a player that the cash-strapped Bucs can afford. If the Mets can get another young arm or top-15 position prospect from one of those clubs, they’d have to consider moving Paulino. What will the Mets do for catching next year if Paulino is moved? Good question, but perhaps that can be addressed in another deadline trade — or maybe in a Paulino deal.

Could Angel Pagan be on the move? His down year would suggest not, but the Brewers can use centerfield depth after Carlos Gomez went down with an injury; the Rangers might also be interested. The time to trade Pagan was during or after the 2010 season, when his stock was at an all-time high. He just turned 30 and his game relies heavily on his legs, so there is a short window of opportunity here. It might make more sense to see how he starts out 2012 and deal him at next year’s deadline.

What about Mike Pelfrey? There are suggestions by some that the Mets could consider non-tendering the big righthander. If that’s truly the case, then they must also be quietly shopping him. The Cardinals would have been an obvious spot before the Colby RasmusEdwin Jackson trade, but there are other teams that could be interested, such as the aforementioned Tigers and Indians. I see Barry Enright still making starts for the D’Backs, so throw them into the mix as well.

What do you think? Are the Mets done dealing or just getting started? Did I miss anyone who could be on the block? Let me know in the comments.

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
  1. Larry Smith July 28, 2011 at 11:52 am
    The fact that the Mets are opting to promote catcher Mike Nickeas rather than a AAA OFer makes me think that Paulino is someone who’ll be gone by Sunday afternoon.
    • MikeT July 28, 2011 at 12:06 pm
      Except that the entire AAA outfield is injured, unless you like the idea of Jesus Feliciano getting at-bats.
      • SiddFinch July 28, 2011 at 12:20 pm
        What? FMart is injured???

        say it isn’t so!

  2. MikeT July 28, 2011 at 12:12 pm
    I think in an ideal world the entire bench and bullpen would be dealt because these are easily replaceable commodities and Alderson knows that. I think we all can agree that moving Pelfrey is a pipe-dream, but the idea that he might not be on the roster next year is intriguing.

    As we have seen this is a top five offensive club right now even without Beltran. With a full year of Santana (even just being reliable enough to get 12 wins) and Niese, Dickey, and Gee being themselves next year, all that seems to stand in the way of the Mets being pretty good next year is Pelfrey. If he is a solid number two or if he is replaced by someone who is a solid number two this team cannot be far off. Even while rebuilding this team can compete and it is hard to argue against it. Especially if another Wild Card team is added.

    Clearly what stands in the way of success is improving the rotation and keeping Reyes. I think Alderson knows it and will work to do it for next year.

    • SiddFinch July 28, 2011 at 12:24 pm
      I agree completely with what you say in the 2nd paragraph-well stated.

      But personally aside from maybe Byrdak I really believe the Mets are done dealing-for now.

      If they slide in August however, I could see some possible waiver deals though heading into Sept.1.

    • Joe Janish July 28, 2011 at 10:30 pm
      I wouldn’t be so quick to count on Johan’s return. If his recent bullpen session is any indication, his mechanics are still flawed and he’ll be re-injuring his shoulder sooner rather than later.
  3. DanC July 28, 2011 at 12:42 pm
    The Mets’ best chance at moving Big Pelf is for him to finish strong and then deal him in the offseason. I don’t see a scenario where he’s with the team beyond next season when he’s arbitration eligible and his agent is Scott Boras.
  4. Timo July 28, 2011 at 3:36 pm
    Speaking of selling high, you missed Murphy. He is hitting the cover off the ball but can’t catch it to save his life. He’s batting .320 right now and we should explore trading him to a club who needs a lefty hitter of the bench. He’s cheap and has some pop.
    Also, Paulino is the next to go. Bring up a catcher to replace Beltran and the fact he is under control next year makes me believe he will be delt. We could have definitely brought up Jesus Feliciano because he did well for us when he was up last year and is a good stop gap. However, teams like trading for guys they can keep after this year unless they will get draft picks for if they don’t resign. Pagan should be traded this year because his stock is down but fits that criteria of being under control for next year.
    Ultimately, I feel that Paulino will be the only person we trade before the deadline. After that, I think more people will be traded.
    • DanC July 28, 2011 at 6:28 pm
      I’m sure they entertained offers. He really doesn’t have quite enough power to be a DH/1B and the whole world knows he can’t play the outfield. But if he’s gonna hit .320 and hit 10-15 homers, I have no problems with him having a future on this team as the everyday 2ndbaseman. If he’s gonna hit like that, you make room for him. Maybe Ike can play leftfield?
  5. Timo July 28, 2011 at 3:36 pm
    Speaking of selling high, you missed Murphy. He is hitting the cover off the ball but can’t catch it to save his life. He’s batting .320 right now and we should explore trading him to a club who needs a lefty hitter of the bench. He’s cheap and has some pop.
    Also, Paulino is the next to go. Bring up a catcher to replace Beltran and the fact he is under control next year makes me believe he will be delt. We could have definitely brought up Jesus Feliciano because he did well for us when he was up last year and is a good stop gap. However, teams like trading for guys they can keep after this year unless they will get draft picks for if they don’t resign. Pagan should be traded this year because his stock is down but fits that criteria of being under control for next year.
    Ultimately, I feel that Paulino will be the only person we trade before the deadline. After that, I think more people will be traded.
  6. Mike B July 28, 2011 at 4:20 pm
    Breaking News, an insider told me the mets feel they are back in the race and shopping around there top piching prospect for a switch hitting right fielder, Giants are interested.
  7. Josh July 28, 2011 at 11:25 pm
    You asked if you missed anyone and I must mention Scott Hairston. Talk about selling high- there is a dearth of right handed pop on the benches of all contenders, and a guy like Scott, who can play any OF position adequately and has prodigious power against lefties, should be a hot commodity.

    As for Jose Feliciano; he is not on the 40 man roster. In order to call him up, the Mets would have to designate someone for assignment. The only reason they didn’t recall Nick Evans YET AGAIN is because there is a 10-day waiting period between call ups when someone is reinstated after clearing waivers.

    • Joe Janish July 29, 2011 at 8:18 pm
      I would like Jose Feliciano on the roster for no other reason than to hear him to sing the national anthem before games. And Feliz Navidad, of course.
  8. Jack July 29, 2011 at 2:11 pm
    This is one of the dumber things you’ve said:

    The time to trade Pagan was during or after the 2010 season, when his stock was at an all-time high. He just turned 30 and his game relies heavily on his legs, so there is a short window of opportunity here.

    Look at the data – this is 100% wrong. Studies have shown that the baseball players that age the worst are the slow, lumbering sluggers. Guys who are fast tend to keep their value much longer – this doesn’t apply to every player obviously, but the odds are very much in favor of the speedy guys.

    • Joe Janish July 29, 2011 at 8:21 pm
      Jack, thanks so much for identifying one of the dumber things I’ve ever said.

      Could you please point me to “the data” of which you speak? I would like to not make any dumb statements in the future, and I believe that the visitors of this website would be very interested in analyzing this data.

      Thank you again for your input.

  9. Jerseymet July 29, 2011 at 5:24 pm
    Hairston is a Giant Killer the Dbacks may be interested.

    Pelf is a head case from Kansas. Maybe the Royals would be interested.