Just Mets

On Wednesday, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reported the Mets are unlikely to acquire an outfielder in trade this summer, instead focusing their efforts on strengthening their infield.

However, a source told Marc Carig of Newsday that isn’t necessarily the case, as acquiring an outfielder, “still remains very much in play.”

According to Carig, the club feels its too early in the trade season to completely rule out options, especially with what is perceived to be a limited supply of available players (thanks to an abundance of teams considering themselves in contention) this month.

The Mets outfield ranks 29th with a .666 OPS. Even with the injuries to David Wright and Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda’s ice cold bat over the last six weeks, the outfield has been less productive than the infield this season.

It’s hard to envision a complete turnaround among the Mets starting three in the outfield over the next 2 1/2 months. It’s unrealistic to expect Curtis Granderson to start hitting left-handed pitching competently and be consistent in general, Juan Lagares to swing at fewer pitches outside the strike zone and get on-base more, and Michael Cuddyer to rebound altogether. And, with Cuddyer now dealing with a bone bruise in his left knee, there’s no telling if he’s going to rebound – or even be able to stay in the lineup everyday – in the second half.

The Mets know this as well, which is partly why they need to keep an open mind to acquiring an outfielder if a viable option becomes available to them.

The problem is, Sandy Alderson has said he only expects to make one acquisition, if he makes one at all. So, if that’s the case, the Mets are going to be living with some holes, whether it’s in the outfield or at shortstop.

But this brings it all back to Ben Zobrist, someone they’re interested in.

He can play two positions on the infield with competence (and at third base if necessary). He can play two corner outfield spots as well. Its an opportunity to acquire a veteran bat with playoff experience who would unquestionably lengthen this lineup and shore up their defensive holes on a daily basis.