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The New York Mets have become the latest suitor in the Justin Upton sweepstakes, but they might not have the chips to pull off a blockbuster trade. Marc Carig of Newsday tweets that the Mets are interested in Upton, but are unlikely to give up their top prospects:

Sources say the Mets are again interested in trading for Justin Upton. But it’s a longshot that they’ll give up enough prospects for a deal.

— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) January 12, 2013

The prospect of acquiring a top talent like Upton must be tempting for the Mets, who desperately need another powerful yet efficient bat. After all, only three regulars in the lineup sported an average over .270, showing how inefficient this lineup really was. Further, only four Mets knocked double-digit home runs. 

Not only did the Mets struggle to hit for power, they struggled to hit for contact as well. Upton would help in both regards.

Unfortunately, a team like the Mets has little to offer outside of prospects, and even there, the Mets are thin. The one truly interesting prospect is Zack Wheeler, who was rated the No. 35 prospect before the 2012 season. Wheeler lived up to that billing, with an ERA of 3.26 and WHIP of 1.17 with two teams in 2012.

The Mets are right in wanting to hold on to Wheeler. He has the potential to grow into an outstanding pitcher, with a powerful fastball between 95 and 97 mph and a devastating curve. When he develops a bigger repertoire, Wheeler will truly be special.

As good as Upton is, keeping a special talent like Wheeler in the organization is more important. The acquisition of Upton would help the Mets, but it would not make the club a playoff contender. This is a team that should be building for a future around guys like David Wright, Ike Davis and Wheeler. 

If the Mets do manage to acquire Upton without giving up Wheeler, the club’s front office will be worthy of major praise. Otherwise, though, the Mets should keep their best prospect, build for the future and try to turn this club into a perennial contender.

The way to do that is through a strong farm system, not blockbuster trade after blockbuster trade.

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The offseason is hardly young, but MLB trade rumors continue to fly. The latest signings have only added fuel to the fire, with stars like Michael Morse getting serious buzz. 

Let’s take a look at the latest rumors to gain some steam.

Tigers, Cubs and Orioles Three-Way Deal

Roch Kubatko of masnsports.com reports that there is a potential three-way deal between the Tigers, Cubs and Orioles brewing. The trade would send the Tigers’ right-handed pitcher Rick Porcello to Chicago, the Orioles’ J.J. Hardy to Detroit and an unnamed Cub to the O’s. 

Kubatko rightfully recognizes how silly this trade is. The Orioles are interested in Porcello themselves: There is no reason to include the Cubs in this deal. Ultimately, this deal seems unlikely, since the O’s like Hardy and have no major incentive to move him.

The Cubs’ activity started this rumor, but it will be the O’s who end it.

National’s Michael Morse on the Trade Block

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets that Michael Morse is available to be had: 

Source: #Nationals speaking to 5-6 teams about Morse. Earning $7M this season, then eligible for free agency.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 8, 2013

The rumor comes on the heels of the Nationals’ latest move, which saw them re-sign Adam LaRoche to a two-year, $24 million deal.

With LaRoche back in Washington, Morse becomes available to the best bidder. 

Unfortunately, Rosenthal updates this report with the news the Morse is not keen on becoming a DH, as per foxsports.com. Morse would be a good fit at DH due to his mediocre fielding and lack of durability, so his unwillingness to fill that role could be key.

Regardless of those issues, Morse would be an upgrade for many teams with his excellent bat. The career .295 hitter has developed some power in the past three years, making him a big piece on the trade block.

Keep an eye on Morse, who will be moved one way or the other. Where he goes will likely hinge on what role he will play in 2013.

Latest in Justin Upton Trade Talks

Rosenthal offers a great recap of the latest in the rumors swirling around the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Justin Upton on foxsports.com.

The key teams to look for are the Rangers, the Padres and the Mariners.

The Padres might offer Chase Headley, who had a career year in 2012 with a .286 average and 31 home runs. Headley offers comparable power to Upton but is in no way an upgrade.

The Rangers have a longer list of players they don’t want to give up for Upton, including Elvis Andrus and Jurickson Profar. Until the Rangers start picking pieces to give up, don’t count on them.

Finally, the Mariners are on Upton’s no-trade list. Good luck with that.

Upton will eventually get moved, but there has been little progress here. Keep an eye out for new news.

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The Michael Young trade that had been hinted at for so long has finally happened, with prospect Josh Lindblom being the key piece in the deal.

The trade sends Michael Young to the Phillies in exchange for Lindblom and right-handed pitching prospect Lisalverto Bonilla.

Lindblom is a talented 25-year-old reliever who has seen action with the Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Here is what he brings to the Texas Rangers.

Profile

Birth Date: June 15, 1987 (Age: 25)

Birth Place: Lafayette, Indiana

Experience: Two years

College: University of Tennessee

Ht/Wt: 6’4″, 239 lbs

About Lindblom‘s Big League Time

Though he hasn’t had many opportunities, Lindblom has been solid in limited action. His career ERA of 3.31 is impressive, as are his 1.26 WHIP and .227 batting-average against. 

One concern, though, is that Lindblom has regressed a bit. In his first season with the Dodgers, Lindblom had a stellar 1.04 WHIP and a fantastic 2.73 ERA. After being traded to the Phillies in 2012, though, his ERA regressed to 4.63 and his WHIP to 1.54.

Lindblom‘s Repertoire

Lindblom has a few main pitches that he uses to great effect. He uses both a four-seam and a two-seam fastball that average around 93 mph. His four-seam fastball is his main pitch, which he uses around 45 percent of the time. 

He also features a slider, which he throws on about a quarter of his pitches. His slider averages about 85 mph and may be his most deadly pitch, going for called strikes about 20 percent of the time.

One thing that Lindblom needs to work on his control over his other two pitches. While he rarely uses them, his curveball and changeup could both use significant work. Around 49 percent of his changeups and 65 percent of his curveballs are called balls.

In terms of his strategy, Lindblom is a strikeout pitcher. He averages an impressive 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

Conclusion

Lindblom has a lot of talent, but he didn’t excel in his short stint in Philadelphia. What caused his struggles there is unclear, but with a change of scenery, Lindblom could be a very solid reliever.

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Heading into 2012, Barry Zito had not won more than 10 games since 2007, and his last winning season was in 2006. As age continued to creep in and on the heels of his worst season in the MLB, expectations for Zito were at an all-time low this season.

Consider those expectations met and surpassed.

Zito has had a complete resurgence this season, cemented by his dominant performance against the St. Louis Cardinals Friday night.

With control pitchers like Zito, the numbers don’t tell the whole tale, but they do help to illustrate the strides he has made this year. His ERA of 4.15, while hardly stellar, is his second-best mark as a San Francisco Giant. More impressively, Zito has cut his walks down to the lowest mark in his career over a full season.

The stats are not dominant, but watching Zito reveals a vastly improved pitcher from just a year ago. He has come up big when needed, pitching brilliantly in September to cement the Giants‘ playoff status. Zito had a 3.03 ERA and 4-0 record in September, closing the season in spectacular fashion.

Zito put all that improvement and then some on display against the Cardinals. The control Zito displayed was divine. He nipped the corners of the strike zone and forced the Cardinals into weak contact all night.

The Giants needed nothing short of a miracle, and they got one from Zito. Pitching Zito was a big risk, as he did not even survive the third inning in his only other playoff start this year. The margin for error was nil: the Cardinals excel against left-handed pitching, with a .276 batting average in 2012. If Zito offered an easy pitch, the Cardinals would have been sure to capitalize.

Very rarely did Zito bend, though, surrendering six hits in just under eight innings. Zito did bend from time to time, but it was the Cardinals doing all the breaking. Zito forced the Cardinals into 10 ground balls and 12 fly balls, which the Giants’ excellent fielding easily converted into outs.

Zito finally seems to be regaining the form that made him a perennial Cy Young candidate early in his career. He has accepted his physical limitations and has improved his control to the point of one again being capable of dominance, if only for small stretches of time.

In the most telling statistic of all, the Giants have won each of Zito’s last 13 starts. He might not dominate, but he regularly puts his club in position to win the game.

Regardless of how the Giants finish this series, expect Zito to continue to assert himself as a solid pitcher in the future.

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