The New York Mets have several outfield options right now. Among them, they have Carlos Beltran, Jason Bay and Angel Pagan most likely as the Opening Day starters. Also, they can add Lucas Duda, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and, on occasion, Nick Evans to the outfield mix too. This is another reason they were able to cut Chris Carter earlier this offseason.
One name I did not mention yet is Fernando Martinez. He is an interesting character because he has not come anywhere close to his potential as of yet, but he still has potential. He has had injuries end his season twice.
Also, during his stints in Queens, he has been ineffective at the plate. The Mets are deep in the outfield position, therefore, he may have trouble finding a spot in the majors this spring.
The Mets are not deep in pitching however. Johan Santana will not be back until near the All-Star break. They cut ties with the struggling and unhealthy John Maine. Mike Pelfrey had been inconsistent.
R.A. Dickey has yet to prove that he is not a one-hit wonder. Oliver Perez can't even succeed in the Mexican League. They have lost Pedro Feliciano and Hisonari Takahashi to free agency.
Recent reports have suggested that the Mets will be trying to make trades for more depth in the rotation and possibly the bullpen as well. This makes more sense for a cash-strapped team like the Mets. Several names have been rumored as being considered.
Some of the more realistic rumors under consideration so far this offseason involve Chris Young, Jeff Francis, Matt Garza and Tom Gorzelanny. Young and Francis are both free agents and have questions surrounding them. The Mets don't seem to be too high on either option as they both are coming off of injuries and bad seasons.
Garza may be hard to acquire from Tampa Bay if the Mets are not willing to part with a highly ranked prospect (Mejia, Flores, etc.). The Mets could afford a pitcher like Gorzelanny (7-9, 4.09 ERA). He will only make $800K next year without arbitration.
Even with arbitration doubling his salary, the Mets could afford a pitcher with his high strikeout potential in the rotation in pitcher-friendly Citi Field. The Cubs would most likely ask for a prospect and a major-league-ready player. In other words, a player like the aforementioned Fernando Martinez.
According to Baseball America, Martinez is still among the top 10 prospects in the system. Why shouldn't he be? He is still young (only 22) and if he puts his game together, he could be a five-tool player. He came into the organization with great hype. He still could live up to it.
Those are reasons to trade him just as much as they are reasons to keep him. Any team that would be willing to trade a pitcher to the Mets will want someone of value in a package in return. Martinez should be part of a deal. The Mets may not be willing to give one of the premiere prospects up unless they get a Zack Greinke type of pitcher in return.
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