Just Mets

Ben Zobrist continues to be a name that pops up among rumors involving the Mets, and for good reason.

He checks all the boxes for them. He could start at two positions on the infield right now for the Mets, arguably three. He could also arguably start in two outfield positions. He is a solid hitter who can hit for power, and has playoff experience which came during his years in Tampa Bay.

He’s had an up-and-down season to date thanks in part to a knee injury which required surgery in late April. But since returning from the injury, he has posted a solid .797 OPS in 44 games, and has hit .307/.382/.511 with 11 extra-base hits over his last 25 games.

It also stands to reason the Mets are not the only team interested in acquiring Zobrist this summer, as Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe said in his column on Sunday the Giants, Yankees and Nationals are also interested in acquiring the 34-year-old soon-to-be free agent.

The Cubs have also shown interest in acquiring Zobrist, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun Times.

Regarding the Mets, Sandy Alderson said a few weeks ago at Citi Field he would be willing to overpay in trade under the right circumstances.

That player was Zobrist, as it turns out.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post recently said Sandy Alderson’s interests are high enough in Zobrist the club would consider an above-market value deal for the super-utility player.

But last week, Sandy Alderson said there were some trade discussions taking place a few weeks ago with a team which was considered a, “seller” at the time, but have since become a, “buyer.”

That team could be the A’s.

In his report, Sherman said A’s General Manager Billy Beane pulled Zobrist off the market after a sudden hot streak by his club. In addition, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports recently reported, the A’s aren’t rushing to move Zobrist for the time being.

But while the A’s have won 18 of their last 31 games, they’re still just 41-50 on the season, 8 1/2 games behind the Angels for the lead in the American League West and eight games out of a Wild Card spot. So, if the team doesn’t show vast improvement quickly, Beane could soon shift gears again and begin shopping some of his assets – such as Zobrist – as the trade deadline nears

In any event, the A’s were never likely to rush into a deal for Zobrist anyway. Demand is expected to soar for him as the trade deadline approaches (The Nationals, Yankees, and Cubs are among the teams to express interest in addition to the Mets). Whether what Sherman says is true or not, they can probably count on expect one of those other bidders to overpay in trade to acquire Zobrist as well.

Ultimately, that’s something the Mets have yet to prove they’re willing to do for Zobrist, or anyone else for that matter.