Ah. Let me tell you how much I want to write about another offensively-challenged Wild Card contender acquiring a couple bats after the Cubs’ abysmal loss to the Phillies.
This evening, the Mets put together a trade with the Braves that will reportedly bring them Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson (and the Mets are taking on only $2.7 million in salary) in exchange for pitching prospects John Gant and Rob Whalen. Depending on your preferred source, Whalen came into the season a prospect in the 15 to 25 range for the Mets, and Gant was somewhere behind that. They are not nothingburgers, but neither is a top prospect.
You wouldn’t expect Uribe and Johnson to net a top prospect, though this is a pretty nice upgrade, especially for the financial and prospect cost. Uribe, 36, is hitting .272/.331/.409 on the year (107 wRC+), and still plays decent defense at third base. Johnson, 33, is hitting .275/.321/.451 (113 wRC+) and can play all over the diamond.
Given the Mets’ woeful offense to date, this could prove a pretty significant upgrade for them, in total. They’ve also called up top positional prospect Michael Conforto.
So, yeah. Good for the Mets. Have a great night!