July 28th. The New York Mets are 53-52 and trail the Washington Nationals by one game in the race for the NL East title. A tremendous starting rotation paired with an offense that can be described as anemic at best is not exactly your recipe for a playoff run. Fast forward three days later. In the 11th hour, leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline, the Mets acquire Yoenis Cespedes from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for two pitching prospects. Immediately, the Mets’ offense is transformed and the club powers through the stretch to seize the National League East from the Nationals, and then go on to capture the National League Pennant.
2015 was truly an exciting year for the Mets organization and it’s fans; more importantly, however, 2015 taught us a valuable lesson: some clubs are better off renting players when needed as opposed to signing a big star in free agency. As 2016 approaches, it is all but certain that Yoenis Cespedes will not be a Met, but there is no reason to panic. If the Mets wisely follow the trend of 2015, Carlos Gonzalez could be the impact acquisition that the Mets need to repeat as Division Champs and make another deep playoff run.
Carlos Gonzalez Open to Being Traded https://t.co/t4g21j6Gjv #Rockies pic.twitter.com/9FydtrWEp6
— LastWordOnSports Inc (@lastwordonsport) January 13, 2016
Carlos Gonzalez Should Be on the Top of Mets’ Wishlist
The Mets need an impact bat. It’s as simple as that. The acquisitions of Neil Walker, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Alejandro de Aza will not provide the necessary offense to allow the Mets to contend for the World Series. With Michael Conforto securing left field, Curtis Granderson in right, and top prospect Brandon Nimmo waiting in the wings, it does not make sense to commit to free agents like Yoenis Cespedes or Justin Upton for a multitude of years or exorbitant amount of money. The Colorado Rockies are getting ready to trade Carlos Gonzalez, and if Sandy Alderson and Co. play the situation right, the superstar outfielder could end up in Mets uniform by July.
Before I begin anymore hopeful speculation, this all remains contingent on whether the Rockies move Gonzalez between now and the trade deadline. The Rockies signed Gerardo Parra earlier this week, so it seems that they are gearing up to cash in on the 30 year-old star outfielder in order to expedite their rebuilding process.
Despite the fact that he is primarily a corner outfielder these days, Carlos Gonzalez does have the experience and athletic prowess to play centerfield. When the Mets utilized Cespedes in centerfield, a lot of people compared it to putting a “round peg in a square hole.” Gonzalez isn’t quite the perfect fit, but is completely capable of handling the job. The Venezuelan native came up with Oakland as a centerfielder and has played 200 games at the position in his career. Consider that with the fact that Gonzalez is the owner of three Gold Glove awards, and as an added insurance policy you have Juan Lagares as a defensive replacement. Long term it might not make sense to play an aging slugger out of position, but Gonzalez is only under contract for two more seasons, at a reasonable $38 million between the two.
#Rockies GM Jeff Bridich reassures @CarGoMedia5 about all of the trade rumors. Details here: https://t.co/JohOq3UfQ8
— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) January 14, 2016
Gonzalez first made waves in 2010 with a breakout offensive season, batting .336 with thirty-four home runs and 117 RBI. The two-time All Star seemed to be fading after falling victim to an injury-shortened season in 2014, but appeared rejuvenated in 2015. Last season, he slugged forty home runs and drove in ninety-seven runs. To date Gonzalez has a career batting average of .290 with 176 home runs and 554 RBI over the course of eight Major League seasons.
The market for star corner outfielders has been a bit precarious to date, resulting in a tremendous amount of speculation about the status of Gonzalez with the Rockies. Teams are hesitant to give up the top prospects needed to land a star like Gonzalez with free agent alternatives like Justin Upton, Yoenis Cespedes and Chris Davis all still available. It is reasonable to expect Carlos Gonzalez to remain in a Rockies uniform on Opening Day. However, the question is not if he will get traded, but when. If things work out favorably for Sandy Alderson, then Gonzalez will still be available when the season is in full swing this summer. Gonzalez could provide the Mets with the impact bat needed to sustain another deep playoff run. Gonzalez would be under contract for 2016 and 2017 for a reasonable amount of money, and therefore would not exactly be a rental. He should on the top of the Mets wish-list, as long as the price is right.
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