There is a media circus brewing in baseball. It has just begun and will continue to build and grow into an unstoppable force in the months of the season to come. I am not talking about the Mets finances. Not immediately anyway.
I am referring to the possibility that perennial all-star Albert Pujols will not be re-signed by the St Louis Cardinals next offseason and could very well be on the trading block this season. Let me repeat that: Albert Pujols could be traded this season.
Try to wrap your mind around that for a second and ponder the likelihood of such an outstanding player in the history of Major League baseball playing somewhere other than St Louis. Don’t ponder it too much, though, Mets fans. Our Mets will not be in the running for him.
Though rumors and reports have stated that he would be a good fit here and the Mets should be interested (and why wouldn’t they be?), still, it is improbable that such a blessing is bestowed upon the Citi Field faithful. Forget the fact that he may be a free agent.
Everyone is talking about teams getting in on bidding for him. If that happens, the Cardinals lose out to the Yankees or Dodgers and have nothing to show for it. The Cardinals would not allow him to hit free agency if the contract negotiations break down. They would be seeking to trade him in the season to get something in return for him.
Trading is their only option if they are unable to sign him. If that becomes the case, almost every team will salivate at the opportunity. There are so many reasons for the Mets to want to try to trade for him, but I can think of three reasons that tell me why they shouldn’t.
First, the trade market will cause the Mets farm system to be tapped out for a player of his value. Imagine a horse race. The horses begin at the very start to jockey for position. The winner is the one who gets the position by throwing caution to the wind. That’s the way it is when it comes to trades in sports.
Teams are already lining up to petition the Cardinals in regard to what they need to offer to take Pujols off of the Cardinals’ hands. The flame of possible trade destinations will be built to massive size from one team after another piling on prospect after prospect.
By the time any trade is even an option, the winning team will be giving up so many players that it will empty the pantry for years to come. Can the Mets endure that and expect to make other deals for pitching too? Not really.
Which brings me to my second reason. It has already been discussed here, that the Mets Minor League system is not strong enough to draw from for big deals. If the Mets were to do that, they would need much more than a Jenrry Mejia or Wilmer Flores. It will take a player like a David Wright or a Jose Reyes to be included in the deal.
How disastrous would it be if the Mets were to say goodbye to an icon such as one of those in exchange for a player that is so good, but brings up so many bad memories of his dominance over your own team?
Recalling extra-inning grand slams and countless key home runs on the road would drive the average person mad. To think that the person that did that damage is now on your team and you had to give up a player as endearing to the masses as one of those, fans would riot.
Especially if it were David Wright involved. But on pure talent, one Pujols is worth two or three David Wrights. Don’t get me wrong, I love David Wright, but even he would be the first to tell you that he is no Albert Pujols. No one in the league, apart from possibly Alex Rodriguez, matches up.
Yet, it is that type of deal that would be necessary to land him here. The Mets would have to include him or Reyes (maybe both) and a few other players. Possibly a Mike Pelfrey and a couple of top-tier prospects. Is that worth it, to mortgage the future on one player?
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