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December 7, 2011 11-12 Offseason Paul Festa

Mets Trade Rumor of the Day: Jon Niese

According to Joel Sherman of the NY Post, the Mets are looking for suitors for LHP Jonathan Niese, possibly selling him as an affordable alternative to those who are unable to acquire Gio Gonzalez.  Teams who lost out on Mark Buehrle (who signed a 4-year, $58 MM deal with – guess who – the Miami Marlins) may also be interested in the Mets starter.

Niese has had two eerily similar seasons in 2010 and 2011, as you can see by the copy/paste below:

 

 

In addition, he’s seemingly run out of gas/broken down during the second half of each year.  He had a 1.53 WHIP in the second half of 2011, and a 1.57 WHIP in 2010.

Given his age (25), the Mets aren’t desperate to trade him, but will if they can get a good starting pitcher in return, plus prospects.

According to Sherman, the Padres, Rockies, and Red Sox are interested in acquiring Niese.

Earlier today, a trade rumor about Mets 1B Ike Davis created a brief commotion, before Andy Martino of the Daily News reported the rumor was untrue.

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Paul is a freelance writer, blogger, and broadcast technology professional residing in Denver. A New Jersey native, he is a long-suffering Mets fan, a recently-happy Giants fan, and bewildered Islanders fan. He's also a fair-weather Avalanche and Rockies supporter. In his spare time, he enjoys the three Gs: Golf, Guitars, and Games.
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  1. Connor December 7, 2011 at 9:34 pm
    Should be entitled: “Mets trade rumor of the last 20 minutes…”
  2. Mike B December 7, 2011 at 11:16 pm
    This just in the Mets trade Pelf and Niese for two little leaguers from the staten island all star team. Sandy thinks these two youths have a ton of talent and are willing to double there jobs currently employed by the local paper route.
  3. argonbunnies December 7, 2011 at 11:26 pm
    Much as I like Niese and Ike, these rumors sound more indicative of a long-term plan than a lot of what’s come out of Sandy’s mouth recently. So color me pleasantly surprised at the creativity and forward-looking focus. Reminds me a bit of what the Rays have done, selling off young and valuable assets for better sustainability.
    • Joe Janish December 7, 2011 at 11:45 pm
      They sound to me like planted rumors for the purpose of diversion from the ugliness of losing Jose Reyes.
      • argonbunnies December 7, 2011 at 11:49 pm
        Or that! I’d buy that too. Hey, at least that’d speak to a higher level of sophistication than Omar ever demonstrated…
        • Piazza December 8, 2011 at 5:32 pm
          Jose Reyes lobby for my job!
  4. Rob December 8, 2011 at 1:45 am
    You know…Sherman is a pretty savy baseball analyst…I’ve listened to him on MLB XM and he’s very articulate and insightful. That being said, he is so full of crap on this one. Why would the Mets trade a significant piece of their rotation for prospects? What…they want to draw even less fans than they hope to draw at the moment? The guy is only 25 and if he can ever figure out that cutter/curveball incompatability thing, he’s gonna be terrific. As it is, he’s terrific for long stretches of time. But what do I know…trade him…trade them all…send them to Detroit…noooooooo….

    I must be so sleep deprived and depressed that I need therapy…

    • Glenn December 8, 2011 at 11:34 am
      The rumors say Alderson wants back for Niese two pitchers, one placeholder and one prospect. If that happens, that makes seems. Ideally, the prospect will reach the majors in a yr and earn the league minimum for the next three yrs while the placeholder pitches for four months before he’s traded off at the deadline. What this trade would accomplish is essentially trading Niese off for a younger cheaper version of himself plus another prospect to boot. In this market where pitching is thin, if you can fleece someone, you do it.
  5. Tommy2cat December 8, 2011 at 5:23 am
    Toronto’s Marasinak & Colorado’s Wilin Rosario are two guys we’d be wise to pursue in any trade.

    Best of all worlds would be to land Marasinak, Rosario & Giant’s Gary Brown. Rosario is a near ML ready power-hitting catcher with strong defensive skills, while Marasinak & Brown are two very fleet outfielders who are not too far ahead of Nimmo. That would form quite a triumvirate.