The Padres enter play on Thursday with a 44-51 record, 9 1/2 games behind the Dodgers for first place in the National League West and 7 1/2 games behind the Cubs for the second Wild Card.
As such, the Padres are expected to soon begin trading some of their assets as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaches.
The Mets have an immediate need (or two) in their outfield, and have reportedly shown interest in outfielders Justin Upton and Will Venable in recent weeks, with the Mets prefering to acquire a left-handed hitting outfielder, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Venable checks the box as being a left-handed hitting outfielder. He’s about league average defensively but capable of playing all three outfield positions reliably.
He’s played mostly everyday for the Padres in 2015, but he might ultimately be better suited in a part-time role as his production drops off considerably against left-handed pitching. But he would certainly be a quality depth move and shore up the club’s bench if he were to be a secondary acquisition, which is an absolute abomination this season. He has dramatic splits and is far and away a better hitter away from Petco Park. But Citi Field can be a challenging place for a hitter too, so it’s not clear if moving from San Diego to New York would benefit him.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Padres have identified the outfield and shortstop as their primary needs right now. The Mets have shown a willingness to move several prospects including former first round selections Brandon Nimmo, and Gavin Cecchini, both of whom check the boxes for the Padres with Nimmo being an outfielder and Cecchini a shortstop.
But Nimmo and/or Cecchini would be a steep price to pay for a player like Venable. Upton could be a different story, however.
But the risk in acquiring Upton now is substantial, although it has nothing to do with the production he would provide the Mets.
He can be a free agent following the World Series. If the Mets acquired Upton now, that would disallow the Mets from making Upton a qualifying offer, as a player traded in-season is not eligible to receive such an offer, per the collective bargaining agreement.
So if the Mets send pieces to San Diego to get Upton – and presumably, those pieces would need to be very significant – the Mets run the risk of Upton testing free agency, signing somewhere else, and having neither the player, the prospects or the draft compensation to show for the transaction.
And, if the Mets do not make the playoffs and all of the above come to fruition, then the Mets would have sacrificed a lot of talent for nothing more than a fruitless pennant race.
With 2 1/2 months to go before the end of the season, Upton, who is 27 and will likely be the premier right-handed bat on the free agent market this winter, has very little reason to negotiate a new contract now. In fact, Upton reportedly is unwilling to negotiate a contract in-season, making the risk even greater for the Mets or any team who acquires him in trade.
And, that risk evidently concerns the Mets to the point they may not think it’s wise to acquire him, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post. Presumably, other teams are equally concerned about these risks as well.
As such, it appears it is unlikely the Mets will acquire the All-Star outfielder, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.
Just Mets 