Just Mets

The Mets need for a transformation bat has been glaring for years. As they headed into the 2015 season with high expectations, the Mets lacked a true, middle of the order presence capable of carrying the club.

On Wednesday, the day finally arrived when the Mets acquired a potential game changer for their lineup.

The Mets agreed to re-acquire OF Carlos Gomez from the Brewers, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

The Mets will trade Zack Wheeler and Wilmer Flores to the Brewers, according to multiple reports.

The deal is pending physicals for all players involved in the deal, including the review of Wheeler’s medical records, as he underwent Tommy John Surgery in late March.

Gomez is having somewhat of a down year for the Brewers this year, although he’s posted a solid .761 OPS with a .266/.332/.429 line with eight home runs and 43 RBI in 73 games for Milwaukee in 2015.

He’s an electric player, someone who the Mets were forced to deal to the Twins when they acquired Johan Santana in February, 2008. He brings a combination of speed, defense and power to the table for the Mets, three areas they’ve been sorely lacking in for much of the 2015 season. A former Gold Glove Award winner, Gomez, who is still only 29 years old, has posted a .778 OPS with 87 home runs and 152 stolen bases in four seasons with the Brewers, although he only has seven stolen bases in 2015.

Gomez was originally signed by the Mets under Steve Phillips as an international free agent in 2002 at the age of 16. He made his big league debut with the Mets on May 13, 2007 against the Brewers. He posted a .592 OPS in 58 games for the Mets in 2007, hitting .232 with two home runs and 12 RBI with 12 stolen bases in 58 games for New York before they dealt him to Minnesota.

This is a great trade, albeit it’s a steep price, as they’re bringing one of their own home to Flushing in an attempt to jumpstart their sagging offense. He’s a dynamic player and will be a big piece of their drive towards the postseason down the stretch this season. He can slot right in at leadoff, bumping Curtis Granderson down to the middle of the order, which will boost his production and provide necessary protection for Lucas Duda. 

This means Ruben Tejada will likely serve as the primary shortstop down the stretch, which is a little risky considering he might eventually be overexposed playing regularly. But he is a superior shortstop to Wilmer Flores and he has been productive for now, so the Mets are just going to have to hope he continues playing as well as he has.

It also means Juan Lagares will likely become the team’s fourth outfielder for now as well. The Mets just signed him to a long-term contract, but he hasn’t produced much on either side of the deal, partially prompting the Mets to find an outfielder.

Regarding Flores, he has been with the organization since he was 16 when he was signed as an international free agent in 2007. I got to know him back in 2010 when he was with the St. Lucie Mets. He’s a good kid, a hard worker and has always been very highly regarded, but it hasn’t worked out here for a variety of reasons, some of which were not his fault.

He was always known for his offense throughout his minor league career but was a man without a position. He was a good soldier over the last few years as the club experimented with him all over the diamond, the last one failing miserably with him at shortstop. Now that Ruben Tejada has been producing and stabilizing the position, and with the club acquired Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson, Flores is in the awkward position of being a bench player now, especially since he seemingly has stopped hitting. He deserves the best in Milwaukee – hopefully he finds a home there and can be a force going forward for them.

As for Wheeler, it’s a sad day personally for me. I have known Wheeler since the day he set foot in the organization back in 2011 when the Mets acquired him for Carlos Beltran. He’s a good kid, incredibly talented, and is going to be a big time pitcher in this league when he gets back on the field next year.

But the reality is, the Mets can’t keep all of these pitchers over the long-term, and Wheeler is a year away barring any setbacks from setting foot on a big league mound. What’s more, he’s two years away from being 100 percent based on how this process goes for pitchers. By that time, he’s arbitration eligible, as is Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom.

While it’s a gamble from a pitching perspective, the Mets are making a good gamble and a safe gamble, as sad as it is for me personally. It’s a win-now move, although they’re paying some of their future for success right now.