Reports indicate that the Mets are reluctant to deal any of their pitching in exchange for offensive upgrades.
Andy Martino of the Daily News is reporting that the Mets are highly reluctant to trade any of their top arms this offseason in order to upgrade their offense. Instead, he says the Mets could look to bring in free agent Michael Cuddyer.
Cuddyer will turn 36 just before the start of next season. As a member of the Rockies in 2014, he hit .332/.376/.579, albeit over only 49 games, as he was injured for much of the season. But with that line, he was worth 1.5 fWAR.
The Mets figure to have a surplus of pitching heading into the 2015 season. Matt Harvey returns to a rotation already filled with the likes of Jacob DeGrom, Zack Wheeler, Bartolo Colon, Dillon Gee, and Jon Niese. In addition, the Mets field a strong bullpen and have Noah Syndergaard and Rafael Montero waiting in the minors. It would make sense for the Mets to deal from this strength in order to upgrade the offense.
However, Michael Cuddyer would also likely upgrade the offense as he would slot nicely into a corner outfield position. On a short term deal, he could be a good fit for the Mets while they wait for outfield prospects such as Michael Conforto or Brandon Nimmo to develop.