Trade proposal: Edwin Encarnacion

The last time the Mets and Blue Jays made a trade together, the Mets ended up getting a steal. They basically robbed Noah Syndergaard, Travis d'Arnaud from Toronto, as all they had to give up was R.A. Dickey, and two fringe players in Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas. This winter, the two teams may swing another deal or two. The Blue Jays have hitting, and quite a bit of it. The problem is their pitching is lacking, as it always has. They'll certainly be searching for some rotation help this off-season, and the Mets are dangling their young pitching to bring in a solid hitter or two. That said, the Mets should consider Edwin Encarnacion, the 30 year old first baseman who has hit 116 homers in his last four seasons with Toronto. 

Mets Get:

1B Edwin Encarnacion 

Blue Jays Get:

P Dillon Gee

P Jacob deGrom

Encarnacion has been a name to watch for years now, and this is the year that he may finally be available for a reasonable price. The 2013 All-Star had his first true breakout season in 2012, where he slugged 42 home runs while hitting .280 in 151 games. His solid season earned him a contract extension, a deal that will keep him under team control through the 2015 season at a reasonable price of $10 million annually. Encarnacion also appeals to the Mets because of his solid on-base percentage. His .370 OBP was well above average, and his career .348 OBP is quite a feat as well. The knack on most players who have high on-base percentages is that they strikeout quite a bit as well (ex: Adam Dunn), but with Encarnacion, his 62 strikeouts in 621 plate appearances (10% of the time) is well below-league average. He doesn't strike out much, walks quite a bit, has some pop to his bat, and is under team control through the 2015 season (team option for 2016) at a fair price, so what's not to like?

Obviously to get a player of Encarnacion's caliber, the Mets would have to sacrifice some of their prized pitching. Despite Harvey being out for the 2014 season, the Mets are still shopping some of their pitchers because of their desperation to bring in a true hitter to protect David Wright in the lineup. Dillon Gee is coming off the best season of his career so far, where he posted a 3.62 ERA in 32 starts while tossing 199.0 innings. The 27 year old hurler is under team control through the 2017 season, and is expected to earn a modest salary increase next season. As for deGrom, the hard throwing sinker-baller pitcher, he would give the Blue Jays more pitching depth. deGrom isn't really considered a top prospect by any means, mostly because of his age (25), but it is believed that he is big-league ready, and his minor league numbers have shown improvement over the years.

The Mets and Blue Jays could/should line up on a few trades this off-season, and I would expect Sandy Alderson to ask about Edwin Encarnacion's availability. The slugger has so many things to like about him, and for a team that is looking for some power, Encarnacion would be a great option.