Who will the Mets be selling off this season?

The Mets are currently sitting in 4th place in the NL East with a 46-54 record. Despite playing well as of late, they will likely be forced to sell of some of their pieces before the July 31st trading deadline that is only 4 days away. Over the last couple of seasons, the Mets have sold pieces off at the deadline, so this should be a familiar sight to see for the fans. The question is: Who will the Mets be able to sell off?

At this point, the team will likely just trade a few veteran players that will most likely not re-sign in the off-season. Below are the players that I believe could be traded within the next couple of days: 

Scott Atchison

Atchison has battled some elbow trouble this season, and has only appeared in 22 games. However, with an ERA of 3.80 and a history of decent success, and team could look to add him. Atchison will be arbitration eligible after the 2013 season, and is under team control  through the 2015 season. At age 37, he may not be able to sustain his success until the 2015 season, but he could be a low-risk gamble for a contender. 

LaTroy Hawkins

Like Atchison, Hawkins has been around the game for a while, 19 years as a matter of fact. However, Hawkins has had success with the Mets, and has stayed healthy. The 40 year old veteran has posted a 3.22 ERA in 45 appearances with the team in 2013. He has been a great veteran presence for many of the younger pitchers on the Mets right now, but perhaps it would be right to send him off to a contending team to get a decent prospect for him.

Bobby Parnell

I've always been a huge supporter of Bobby Parnell, even a few years ago when he struggled as a starter. In 2013 he has really come into his own as a closer, putting up a 2.30 ERA, while netting 20 saves in 46 appearances. Parnell has learned to efficiently use his breaking pitches, and his powerful fastball to get hitters out in tight spots. His value is sky-high right now, and Sandy Alderson would get a nice prospect or two for Parnell. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I truly believe that the Tigers will make a strong run for Parnell soon.

Carlos Torres

Torres has been a huge surprise for the Mets this season. Before earning a promotion to the team a few weeks ago, he was gathering trade interest from teams like the Rockies and Giants. The Mets held onto him, and he has really raised his value. He currently has a 0.94 ERA in 12 games (2 starts) for the Mets. A contender could look at him as an effective swing-man out of the bullpen, and considering that the Mets picked him up on a minor league deal in the off-season, I believe they won't be too picky about the return.

John Buck

John Buck has had an interesting season, to say the least. After hitting 9 home runs in the first 23 games of the season, he has hit only 5 in his last 60 games. Buck was originally brought on to be the backup catcher behind Travis d'Arnaud. However, d'Arnaud has had an injury plagued season and likely won't be in Queens until August. With that being said, the Mets have been overusing Buck. 

Some say that Buck's veteran presence on this team would be more valuable than a potential prospect that he would bring in, but I disagree. Put it this way: Buck is making $6 million this season, and if traded, the Mets could save some money, and get a decent prospect as well. It's a tough situation for Sandy Alderson and Co., but ultimately I believe Buck will be dealt sometime soon, most likely in August. 

Marlon Byrd

To say that Byrd has exceeded expectations this season would be a massive understatement. Byrd was brought in on a minor league deal back in the winter, and he was expected to battle out for a bench spot. However, ever since Day one of Spring Training, Terry Collins preached that he would allow Byrd to earn every-day playing time. Given the weakness of the Mets' outfield, it was assumed that Byrd would make the team. However, the 35 year old veteran has been a starter for the whole season, hitting .281 with 17 home runs. The outfield market is tricky right now. Marlon Byrd could be a cheap alternative to someone like Alex Rios. I can see the Texas Rangers ultimately being the one's who snag Byrd from the Mets.

Mejia's role with the Mets

Today the Mets defeated the Nationals by a score of 11-0, but the real story was Jenrry Mejia. Before the game, Mejia had made 6 rehab starts in the minor leagues. The former top prospect was chosen to start the game over others such as Rafael Montero, Jacob deGrom, and Chris Schwinden.

 

It's safe to say that the Mets are happy with their decision.

 

Mejia delivered 7 scoreless innings, striking out 7 in the process while not walking a single batter. He surprised everyone, looking like the pitcher he was originally hyped up to be. Terry Collins recently said that they will allow Mejia to join the six-man rotation, a move that has been made to limit Harvey and Wheeler's innings this season. But, despite today's success, can Mejia find success pitching every sixth day?

 

Like I mentioned before, Mejia was once a highly-regarded prospect in the Mets' organization. He made his MLB debut three years ago as a 20 year old. Jerry Manuel clearly rushed him to the big leagues, and misused him in every way possible. Mejia constantly bounced back between a starting and relief pitcher with his time with the Mets, thus leading to Tommy John surgery on an injured arm.

 

At 23 years of age, Mejia still has a bright future ahead of him if he can fulfill his potential. Personally I'd like to see more of him out of the rotation, and see if he will be a solid starter for this team moving forward. Of-course, the Mets have plenty of pitching, so perhaps they could give him the rest of the season to raise his value, then sell high on him in the off-season. Either way, the team should keep Mejia in the rotation, unless he REALLY struggles.

 

Right now, the team has a good problem. We can't forget about Jon Niese, who is set to come back in August. With that in mind, the entire rotation has had success, so it would be tough to kick someone out of it for Niese. The rotation currently looks like this: Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Dillon Gee, Carlos Torres, Jeremy Hefner, and Jenrry Mejia. All of these pitchers have had success in 2013, and it would be difficult to take them out of the rotation.

 



Mets trade two prospects to LAA for int'l bonus pool money

The Mets have traded outfielder Julio Concepcion and pitcher Andres Perez to the Angels in exchange for an International Signing bonus allotment slot. Ben Badler of Baseball America reports that the Mets have received the Angels' No. 2 bonus slot, which is valued at $360,500. The Mets now have an overall bonus pool worth $3.0251 million.

 

 

Concepcion has hit .238 in 6 games with the Brooklyn Cyclones this season. As a lifetime .277 hitter, the 23 year old has not been considered to be a "true prospect" according to Badler.

 

Perez has posted a 5.52 ERA in 14 2/3 in the Rookie Appalachian League.

 

Acquiring bonus slot money is a relatively in baseball. Nowadays, as the league is getting closer and closer to a having an international draft, teams are signing so many players from other countries. Ever since July 2, teams have had the option to sign these international players, but with a certain amount of money that they are allowed to spend.

 

Basically, the Mets are getting money that they'll be able to use on more amateur free agents. There is a lot of talent out there, and roughly $360,000 can actually make a big difference when deciding on which players to sign.

 

Both Concepcion and Perez have not done anything to impress in the minor leagues, so they won't be missed. Overall, this is a good move by Sandy Alderson. Hopefully he uses this money to sign a solid international free agent soon.