MLB Roundup 1/7: Mets make two small trades

Mets make a pair of small trades

The Mets have been one of the focal points of this offseason in baseball, largely because they pulled off one of the biggest trades when they acquired Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz in a blockbuster with the Mariners. The Mets are coming off a disappointing year, but with two of the best pitchers in baseball in Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, the pieces are there for them to take a jump forward in 2019 as long as they invest the proper resources into their club. There’s still a question of whether or not they’ll actually do that — knowing their history, the answer is more than likely no — but in the meantime they are adding some depth via trade, and sending some away.

Earlier in the weekend, they acquired exciting-but-flawed outfielder Keon Broxton in a deal with the Brewers, and then on Sunday they swung a deal with the Astros. In the deal with 2018’s American League runners up, New York acquired utility man J.D. Davis in exchange for three prospects. It was a bit of a strange deal, as Davis can play all four corner spots, but none particularly well. He also overlaps a bit with both of the Mets’ starting corner infielders. In the other deal, New York sent catcher Kevin Plawecki to the Indians for a pair of minor leaguers who could potentially serve as major-league depth in 2019. This was a bit surprising as, after signing Wilson Ramos, they had to make a choice for their backup between Travis d’Arnaud or Plawecki. Ultimately, they went with the riskier move with more upside, as d’Arnaud has shown flashes but also has a major injury history. These were the most exciting moves of the day on Sunday. Can you feel it?!

Rockies showing interest in Brian Dozier

At this point last year, Brian Dozier was one of the more intriguing trade chips as he had finished the 2017 season on a hot streak for Minnesota and his value was at an all-time high. Just one year later, he’s been a bit overlooked after a disappointing 2018 where he finished the year on a sour note with the Dodgers. Now in free agency, he’s looking to pick up on his lowered value. There haven’t been many rumors involving the veteran second baseman to this point, but they could be starting soon. Case-in-point: The Rockies are showing interest in Dozier on a short-term deal. Colorado did already sign Daniel Murphy, but he’s expected to spend his time at first base. They also have prospect Garrett Hampson, and while he’s exciting and major-league ready, he’s also not so good that you can’t block him with a veteran. The Rockies aren’t desperate at the keystone position, but Dozier might be soon.

The asking price for Corey Kluber is high

One of the strangest storylines of the winter has been the idea that the Indians are willing to trade either Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer in an effort to shed salary. One of the American League’s best teams, they’ve already seen their team get worse with the losses of Edwin Encarnacion and Michael Brantley, and the idea of trading one of the best pitchers in the game is patently absurd for a team with Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez in their primes. As it turns out, they are still shopping both guys, but they are looking for a Chris Sale-like package in return. They should be, too, for someone like Kluber at least. Cleveland’s starter may not have the team-friendly deal that Sale had when he came to Boston, but he’s more important to his current team and every bit as good. The same report indicates the longer this goes, the less likely a deal is. The Red Sox hope to see Kluber shipped off and the Indians further broken up, but it’s probably not happening.