Angels will make Trumbo and Bourjos available

According to Buster Olney of ESPN.com, the Angels are willing to trade Mark Trumbo and/or Peter Bourjos to acquire young pitching. Last month, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com said that the Angels would consider trading Howie Kendrick, but it was less likely that Trumbo or Bourjos would be dealt because they are under team control for more years.

Trumbo, 27, hit .234 with 34 home runs and 100 RBI in 159 games for the Angels last season. He will be eligible for arbitration in 2014, and can become a free agent in 2017. 

Bourjos, 26, hit .274 with a .333 OBP in 55 games for the Angels in 2013. Like Trumbo, he will be eligible for arbitration in 2014, and can become a free agent in 2017. 

I like both of these players, and I can definitely see a fit here. Obviously the Mets have young pitching as their surplus, so they could be an attractive suitor for the Angels. Now, neither Trumbo or Bourjos are "top-tiered" players by any means, but they would definitely be upgrades over whoever the team stuck in the outfield last year.

Trumbo's problem is his inability to work the count, as he just goes up there hacking and hoping that the ball goes a long way. His power would be much needed in the Mets lineup, but he isn't one of those players where you would overpay to get him. He is also limited to first base, as the whole outfield experiment in Los Angeles made him Lucas Duda-esqe defensively. 

As for Bourjos, I used to be a huge fan of him, mostly after the 2011 season where he managed to hit 11 triples in 147 games for the Halos. However, I really feel like this speedster is no more than a fourth outfielder due to his light bat. Defensively hes golden, but he's yet another player that I don't see the Mets making a huge push to acquire.

What I want to see the Mets do this off-season.

The World Series isn't even over yet, and people are already beginning to talk about how the Mets can have a successful off-season. They clearly have many needs, as first base, shortstop, and the corner outfield spots were liabilities last year. If the Mets want to re-tool and become competitive in 2014, they are going to need to start spending, and making creative trades. Here is what I think they should do.

Trade Montero, Murphy, Davis, and Gee for Tulowitzki and cash.

Colorado isn't going to just GIVE AWAY Tulowitzki, so he'll likely cost quite a bit in terms of prospects. What the 29 year old shortstop brings to the table to very obvious -- power, solid defense, and a solid presence in the lineup. He is arguably the best shortstop in the game right now, so the Mets would be getting quite a catch. 

The Rockies need pitching, so give them Rafael Montero who will be major-league ready in 2014 and projects to be a #2 or #3 starter. Also give them Dillon Gee, who proved with his 3.62 ERA in 2013 that he could be a solid starting pitcher at the back end of the rotation. Gee is arbitration eligible after the 2014 season, and is eligible for free agency in 2017. 

Also in this deal is Daniel Murphy, who the Mets probably wouldn't be thrilled to give up, but a piece like him would be required to net a player like Tulowitzki. Murphy has really come into his own over the last few seasons, and is starting to look like an every-day regular over at second base. After his strong 2013 season where he hit .286 with 188 hits in 161 games, his value is high, and the Rockies could look to immediately extend him if acquired because he only has a few years left of team control on his current deal.

Finally we have Ike Davis, who the Mets are going to probably tender a contract to this winter. Davis was horrific in 2013, hitting .205 with 9 home runs in 103 games. Davis has shown that he has a massive amount of raw power, and could thrive under the hitter-friendly dimensions of Coors Field. One thing we know for sure is: Todd Helton is retiring, and the Rockies are going to be looking for a young first-baseman.

Sign Nelson Cruz

The Rangers are likely going to let Cruz walk this winter as they acquired Alex Rios from the White Sox to replace him. Cruz is coming off a season where he hit 27 home runs in 109 games, and finished the campaign with a 50 game PED suspension. He would be a great player to bring in due to his immense power, and solid arm in the outfield. However, if he is asking for too much, the Mets could back away with no harm. 

If Cruz doesn't work out, Sign Marlon Byrd

I'm not sure if I completely buy into the whole Marlon Byrd situation, but the guy has done it in the New York spotlight, and I expect that he'd be a solid addition to this club. After his strong 2013 season where he hit .291 with 24 homers and 88 RBI, the 36 year old veteran could be in line for a multiyear deal, which is something the Mets may not want to hand out. 

Sign Jacoby Ellsbury

I'm gonna say it: I'd rather have Ellsbury than Shin-Shoo Choo. I love the fact that Ellsbury can steal 50-60 bases, and he is exactly what the Mets are looking for. The Red Sox may not want to give him up too easily, and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up getting a contract over $100 million due to all of the bidding teams who will be chasing after him. I can see Seattle making a big push for him, but the Mets could play the role as that sleeper team, and I would be thrilled if they got him. I'm wary of the injury history, but I feel like it's a risk that the team needs to take. 

Here is what I want the team to look like next year: (excluding bench players and the bullpen)

Lineup:

1. CF Jacoby Ellsbury

2. 2B Wilmer Flores

3. 3B David Wright

4. SS Troy Tulowitzki

5. RF Nelson Cruz/Marlon Byrd

6. 1B Lucas Duda

7. C Travis d'Arnaud

8. LF Juan Lagares

9. Pitcher

Starting Rotation:

1. Zack Wheeler

2. Jonathon Niese

3. Jenrry Mejia

4. *Veteran Free Agent*

5. *Veteran Free Agent*

The Mets should NOT sign Josh Johnson

Matt Harvey will miss the entire 2014 season due to Tommy John surgery, and the Mets will likely look to sign a few innings eaters this off-season. They may chase after Josh Johnson, who will likely be of interest to many teams. Johnson, a 9 year veteran, spent his first 7 seasons with the Marlins where he posted a combined 3.15 ERA in 154 games (144 starts.) While those numbers are promising, bringing Johnson along would be quite risky. The 29 year old has an extensive injury history, and missed more than half of last season while with Toronto. In 2013, he had a 6.20 ERA in 16 starts for the Blue Jays, and was shut down in early August because of forearm tightness. He went on to undergo surgery that removed bone spurs from his elbow, and is expected to be ready for spring training.

Here is why the Mets should not be signing him: he CAN"T stay healthy. Johnson is being held together by nuts and bolts and to me he seems like a ticking time bomb. Why should the Mets sign a pitcher that would probably demand $8-10 million for a single season, a season where he would probably only make 15-20 starts if your lucky. I understand that Johnson is, apart from the 2013 season, pretty dominate when on the field, but to me the Mets need to focus on their offense, and not be spending huge amounts of money on reclamation projects in the rotation. 

Mets miss out on Abreu, signs with White Sox

Cuban first-baseman Jose Abreu has agreed to a six-year, $68 million deal with the Chicago White Sox. According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the White Sox, Astros, and Rangers were viewed as the final three teams that Abreu would choose from. 

The Mets sent scouts to watch Abreu last month, and a high ranking official told The Star-Ledger's Jorge Castillo that they were "impressed." However, other sources later told the Daily News that Sandy Alderson was not expected to pursue a free agent first baseman this winter. 

Paying almost $70 million on a player as risky as Abreu could end up being a flop for the White Sox. With that being said, I'm glad the Mets didn't completely overpay for him. Granted, fellow Cubans like Yasiel Puig and Yoenis Cespedes have found success in the MLB since their transition, and Abreu was, according to scouts, a better hitter than them, it would have been to much of a risk for a rebuilding team trying to find it's way again.

I'm hearing that the Mets will look internally for their 2014 first baseman, choosing from Ike Davis, Lucas Duda, Josh Satin, Wilmer Flores, and possibly even Daniel Murphy. To me, that is unacceptable, because the Mets are going to need to bring in proven talent. I'm talking about Justin Morneau, Kendrys Morales, those guys. For now, we'll just have to wait and see what Alderson's plan is, but I can already tell there is a chance we may be greatly disappointed. 

Angels claim Carson, Dodgers claim Baxter, Henn and Burke outrighted

The Angels have claimed Robert Carson off of waivers, and the Dodgers have done likewise with Mike Baxter. The Mets also announced that pitchers Sean Henn and Greg Burke have been outrighted off of the 40 man roster. The roster currently stands at 36.

Carson, 24, has had two stints with the Mets over the past couple seasons and has not been impressive, posting a combined 6.82 ERA in 31 relief appearances. The hard-throwing lefty spent most of the 2013 season the 51s, where he had a 4.06 ERA in 43 relief appearances. He was originally drafted by the Mets in the 14th round of the 2007 draft.

Baxter was selected off of waivers by the Mets from the Padres back in the summer of 2011. The 2012 campaign was easily his best, where he served as the team's fourth outfielder while hitting .263 with a .365 on-base percentage in 89 games. He didn't find the same success last year, hitting .189 with a .303 on-base percentage in 74 games with New York. 

Henn was signed to a minor league deal by the Mets in April 2013, and had a 3.38 ERA in 4 relief appearances. He spent most of the year in Las Vegas, where he had a 2.81 ERA in 52 relief appearances. 

Burke was signed as a free agent by the Mets in November 2012. He was expected to be a low-risk, potential moderate reward free agent, and he ended up disappointing. His 5.68 ERA in 32 big league appearances wasn't too impressive, and neither was his 4.55 ERA in 31 appearances with the 51s. 

Even though Carson showed promise, he was way too inefficient to be considered a long-term piece for this team. The left-handed specialist job was wide open, and it seemed that every time he was called upon he would disappoint. He isn't arbitration eligible until the 2016 season, so the Angels have a few years of team control under him. If he can find a way to work on his control, and make his fastball more effective, he could be a semi-decent pitcher in this game.

Baxter's 2013 campaign was a big setback in his career. He was strongly considered to be the team's 4th outfielder coming out of camp, but struggled early on, leading to an eventual demotion to the minor leagues. Despite his heroics in Johan Santana's no-hitter one year ago, he hasn't really done much for the Mets over the last few years, being a fringe player at best. The Dodgers will likely just store him away as outfield depth, and he'll continue to be a backup player for them.

As for Henn and Burke, both were brought in on low-risk deals, and did not really prove anything with the Mets. Henn was solid in Triple-A, and did somewhat well in his handful of appearances for the varsity club, but Burke on the other hand struggled in both levels. They'll likely start the 2014 season in Triple-A, and possibly be considered for a roster spot if they find success there.

The Mets will certainly be making more of these roster-cutting moves. They still need to add Jacob deGrom, Jeff Walters, Greg Peavey, Cory Vaughn, and Steven Matz to the 40 man roster to protect them from the Rule V draft. Also, the eight players on the disabled list, which include Matt Harvey and Bobby Parnell, will need to be added to the roster as well within five days after the World Series. 

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York recently suggested that the Mets could cut Jordany Valdespin, Scott Atchison, Zack Lutz, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, and Andrew Brown (as well as Baxter, Carson, Henn and Burke) to make room on the roster. 

Stay away from Kemp and Ethier

According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Dodgers will make outfielders Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp available in trade this off-season. 

The Dodgers currently have an excess of outfield depth, with Carl Crawford, Yasiel Puig, and solid bench players such as Scott Van Slyke and Skip Schumaker. 

Kemp has had trouble staying on the field ever since his solid 2011 season where he finished second in the MVP voting. He has played in 179 games over the past two seasons, hitting .290 with 29 homers and 102 RBI in 739 plate appearances. The two-time All-Star is under contract through the 2019 season, and is still set to earn $128 million. 

He had shoulder surgery in early October, but is expected to be 100 percent by Spring Training. He has also been dealing with possible career threatening problems in his ankle, which doctors expect to continue to get worse. 

Ethier has been swarmed by trade rumors over the past year or so, as he is the most logical player for the Dodgers to get rid of. For the most part, he has been able to stay on the field. In 2013, he hit .272 with 12 homers and 52 RBI in 142 games for Los Angeles. As an 8 year veteran, he has 141 career home runs, along with 587 RBI, and a .288 batting average. The two-time All-Star will earn $71.5 million over the next four seasons.

Both players should NOT be looked at by the Mets this winter. Kemp has had so much trouble staying healthy over the past 2 seasons, and despite being a solid player when on the field, I just don't feel like it's a smart investment to bring him in. The Dodgers will still try to ask for a decent package of prospects for him, so the Mets should not even think about getting him.

As for Ethier, he may make a little more sense, if the Dodgers pay for most of his contract. I've never been a huge Ethier fan, so I definitely wouldn't overpay in terms of prospects. However, if the Dodgers are desperately trying to unload him and are willing to pay, let's say 80-85 percent of his contract, I wouldn't be surprised if the Mets land him. However, he would not be my first option, rather a backup player to look at if the bigger names like Shin-Shoo Choo and Nelson Cruz are scooped up. 

Could Grant Balfour be an option?

Pitcher Grant Balfour recently told Casey Pratt of Comcast SportsNet that he is unsure whether he will return to Oakland next season. Balfour also said that he'd like to win a World Series before considering retirement. 

The 10 year veteran had a 2.59 ERA in 65 relief appearances with the Athletics in 2013. He also racked up 38 saves, and posted a strong 10.3 K/9 rate in 62 2/3 innings. He is eligible for free agency when this season is over. 

Balfour has been pretty consistent over the last 4 seasons, posting a combined 2.47 ERA in 259 appearances with Oakland and Tampa Bay. He earned $4.5 million in 2013, and will likely earn a salary raise after his strong 2013 campaign.

He also has a track record of staying healthy, so even at age 35, the Mets could afford to give him a multiyear deal. I feel like he'd be a good fit with this team, but I'm not sure if he'll be the team's closer. Despite notching 38 saves for Oakland in 2013, if the club is looking long-term in 2014, I'd much rather have Bobby Parnell close out the games, and give Balfour the 8th inning duty. 

Now, I don't think the Mets will be spending a great deal of money to get bullpen help, but giving Balfour, let's say a 2 year/$10 million deal, wouldn't be a bad move. The Mets did do something similar with Frank Francisco a few years ago, giving him a 2 year/$12 million deal which ultimately turned into a big flop, but Balfour's history of success should give him an edge.