As the team continues to fight through a litany of injuries, the New York Mets are reportedly interested in Milwaukee Brewers players Aramis Ramirez and Jean Segura, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports .
The Mets, who currently sit in second place in the NL East, are just 0.5 games back of the first-place Washington Nationals. Amazingly, they’ve been able to maintain a winning record despite the teams seemingly endless parade of injuries. At the moment, starter Zach Wheeler, catcher Travis d’Arnaud, and infielders Dilson Herrera, Daniel Murphy, and David Wright are all on the disabled list, causing the Mets to look outside the organization for help.
In their search, the left side of the Brewers infield makes sense in both the long and short term. Third baseman Aramis Ramirez will reportedly retire at seasons end, and as mentioned by Rosenthal, does not have a no-trade clause, meaning he would be easier to acquire. On the season, former three-time All-Star Ramirez is batting a lowly 0.203 with six HR and 16 RBI.
When the Inquisitr reported Wright’s diagnosis of spinal stenosis , a red flag went off immediately as that condition has ended the careers of several athletes. Therefore, to expect much, if anything at all, from Wright the rest of the way would be foolish.
Conversely, shortstop Jean Segura would be an ideal long-term solution at shortstop for the Mets. Just 25-years-old, Segura’s combination of speed, hitting, and youth would represent an upgrade over incumbent Wilmer Flores. In 41 games this year, Segura is batting 0.290 with three HR and 15 RBI. However, since he is considerably younger than Ramirez and, at this point, the superior player, he would command a larger return.
The Mets recently moved starter Dillon Gee to the bullpen, abandoning the team’s six-man rotation experiment. Additionally, rumors of the team looking to trade either one or both of Gee and Jonathon Niese have surfaced, and with the teams depth at the position, the Brewers and Mets definitely have pieces to offer each other.
Both pitchers have been serviceable during their careers. Just returning from injury himself, Gee currently owns a record of 0-3 with a 4.46 ERA. On the other hand, Niese has battled through inconsistency all year and currently owns a 3-6 record with a 4.43 ERA. But with Noah Syndergaard firmly established in the rotation, Matt Harvey back in ace form, Bartolo Colon sipping from the fountain of youth, and Steven Matz on the way, Niese and Gee are expendable.
Rosenthal also mentioned the Mets having an interest in the versatile Ben Zobrist, but the Mets think another team would offer more for the current Oakland Athletic.
[Image by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images]