The Winter Meetings officially kicked off yesterday, and although there were no major transactions the rumor mill was churning. The New York Mets didn’t do much to change the narrative from General Manager Sandy Alderson’s opening salvo on Sunday, when he hinted the Mets would be bargain shoppers. There was a bit of advancement in a few areas, however, so let’s take a look at what happened yesterday and what could be in store for today:
Matt Harvey: The rumors surrounding a potential Matt Harvey trade continued to swirl yesterday as multiple teams expressed interest in a deal. The Mets discussed Harvey with the Texas Rangers, with speculation centering on former top prospect Jurickson Profar as a potential return. The Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs have also demonstrated interest in Harvey, with Baltimore willing to ship back a top reliever like Brad Brach in a trade. It doesn’t appear too likely that a deal will get struck today, but things can come together quickly at the Winter Meetings.
Bullpen: A day after hinting they would wait a while to sign a reliever, the Mets apparently became confident they would walk out of the meetings with a reliever for their bullpen, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports. Heyman noted that the Mets remain high on Bryan Shaw, but a few other names emerged on their wish list yesterday. The Mets were linked to free agents Steve Cishek and Tommy Hunter, both of whom would be more cost effective than Shaw or former Met Addison Reed. This market is starting to move a bit as Pat Neshek signed with the Philadelphia Phillies yesterday, so the Mets could move quickly to try and secure one of their relief targets.
Second Base: Not much has changed here, although the Mets are now showing interest in Ryan Goins as a possible platoon partner for Wilmer Flores at second. Goins, who was non-tendered by the Toronto Blue Jays, could be a fit for the Mets since he is a strong defender who is versatile, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. The drawback for Goins is his poor offense. Goins hit only .237 with nine homers and 62 RBI’s in 2017, but he does bat left handed and could platoon with Flores or T.J. Rivera if the Mets choose to spend their (limited) dollars elsewhere.
Jay Bruce: There isn’t much movement on the Bruce front, but his market does appear to be a bit more defined. Heyman reports that the Mets, Blue Jays, Rockies, and Mariners are keeping an eye on Bruce. There may be a few more teams in on Bruce than Heyman indicated, but his situation is unlikely to be resolved before the end of the Winter Meetings.
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