Just Mets

Are the Mets being watched?

Giants executive Vice President Brian Sabean is said to be in attendance during this weekend’s series between the Mets and the Nationals, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.

The reason for their presence is not clear, according to Rubin, although it’s possible they could be looking for a third baseman and a starting pitcher ahead of the trade deadline.

The Mets have a few dilemmas at the moment.

It’s obvious they have excess starting pitching with Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz waiting in the wings, and the Giants have potential long-term injuries in their rotation right now.

But it’s fairly clear the Mets need to make room at second base for Dilson Herrera, who has shown he’s probably ready for the big leagues as well and serves as a necessary defensive upgrade up the middle, evident by his recall to take over at second base for the time being.

The Mets are going to be faced with some difficult decisions when David Wright returns from the disabled list. It’s not clear how long that’s going to be, although the team remains hopeful he could be back next weekend in Philadelphia. However, after resuming baseball activities early last week in Port St. Lucie, he was not on the field later in the week, suggesting his recovery is taking longer than originally expected.

Still, he will be back eventually. And if Herrera hits over that time, its going to be very difficult to make an argument to send him back to Triple-A and reinstall Murphy at second, especially since the whole point of bringing Herrera here is he is viewed as an upgrade over Murphy defensively.

That could leave Murphy on the outside looking in, deservingly or not.

Murphy is a better third baseman than he is second baseman. So he could be a fit for the Giants if they are in fact in the market to upgrade over Casey McGehee, who has really struggled for the Giants over the first month.

Still, Murphy is viewed more as a utility player in the industry, which has made him more valuable to the Mets than in any trade over the course of the last two years.