What if Wednesday: Justin Upton

In the offseason of 2012-13, the Mets made a push for Justin Upton. Upton, then of the Arizona Diamondbacks, was just 25 years old and was considered to be one of the best outfielders in the game.
Supposedly, Sandy Alderson was pushing hard for Upton, trying to make a trade work for a while. Eventually, this effort failed.
Upton was traded along with Chris Johnson to the Atlanta Braves in January of 2013 in exchange for Martin Prado, Randall Delgado and three prospects- Zeke Spruill, Nick Ahmed, and Brandon Drury.
But what would a Mets trade for Upton look like? What would change as a result of this acquisition?
- The Mets trade Daniel Murphy, Jenrry Mejia, Wilmer Flores, and Rafael Montero to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Justin Upton and Chris Owings.
- Let’s take a brief look at how this one trade two winters ago would’ve impacted the way this offseason (2014-15) has played out…
- With Justin Upton on the Mets, the Braves clearly can’t send him along to San Diego. The Padres killer offseason comes out a notch below where it is today.
- The Pads’ lose out on Upton, and so, have no need to trade Seth Smith to the Mariners. He remains in San Diego.
- Even with Upton, the Mets still sign Cuddyer to fill out the outfield, forming the “Norfolk Three” with Upton, David Wright, and Cuddyer.
- Because Martin Prado is never a Diamondback, he can’t be traded to the Yankees in the summer of 2014. As a result, the Yanks can’t send him to Miami. Prado is still a Brave, and Nathan Eovaldi is still a Marlin.
- Now that the Marlins don’t have Prado, they have no reason to trade Casey McGehee to the San Francisco Giants, and he thus continues to call Miami home.
- With the Giants missing out on Chase Headley, and now not acquiring Casey McGehee, they’re in some big trouble at third base. They make a greater push for Asdrubal Cabrera, ultimately signing him, as he spurns the Tampa Bay Rays.
- The Rays don’t sign Cabrera to add to their surplus of infield talent, and thus, all of these Ben Zobrist trade rumors (particularly to the Mets) are, more or less, obsolete.
- The D-Backs don’t trade Didi Gregorius to the New York Yankees, as they have nobody else at shortstop, with Chris Owings a Met and Nick Ahmed still a Brave.
- The Yankees need to find another shortstop, so they go out and place the winning bid on Korean shortstop Jung-Ho Kang.
- And lastly, the Mets aren’t the subject of every shortstop rumor, because they already have their shortstop of the future in Chris Owings…
- Now we can rewind a little bit…
- The Braves need to acquire another outfielder to accompany Jason Heyward and BJ Upton after failing to acquire the latter’s brother. With all of the big-time corner outfielders off of the market, the Braves really have nowhere to go… They place utility-man Evan Gattis in left field.
- In the 2013 season, the Braves don’t perform to the level that they did in the “real world” without Justin Upton, but they still just barely sneak into the playoffs with the weak NL East. They get swept in the NLDS by the LA Dodgers.
- The Mets don’t sign Curtis Granderson in the winter of 2013 because they already have Upton and Lagares, and plan on signing another outfielder the following offseason. He ends up back with the Yankees on a lesser contract.
- And many, many, many more things would’ve changed if Upton was a Met…
What else do you think would’ve changed? Let me know in the COMMENT section!
Trade Talk Tuesday: Nothing New Here…

On this day, there’s really no other trade proposals that I can make… I’ve already posted about Starlin, Javy Baez, Tulo, and Alexei. And while I think that Ben Zobrist would be a nice addition, I think his age, the fact that he only has one year left under contract, and his lack of history at the shortstop position all lead me to believe that Sandy won’t make a play for him.
I have just one thing to say…
SANDY, GO GET TULO!
Trivia Friday: December 26th
Throwback Thursday: Christmas Birthdays

On this wonderful Christmas day, we look back in Mets history to see what notable events occurred on this day.
Since baseball, of course, isn’t played in December, and teams usually don’t finalize transactions on the holiday, opting to spend time with the family, it was difficult to come upon a notable event from Mets history that took place on December 25th.
And then I found two. Two notable players from Mets history, regardless of for how long they donned the blue and orange, were born on this day.
First, there was Rickey Henderson- the fastest, most incredible baserunner in MLB history. One of, if not the, greatest left fielder in MLB history. He was a Met from the 1999 season into early 2000. For more on his impact in Mets history, check out my article “What if Wednesday: Rickey Henderson”.
Here’s Rickey’s Hall of Fame Induction speech, which came after he received 94.8% of the vote in 2009, his first year on the ballot.
Happy Birthday, Rickey!!
The other Mets birthday today is that of Al Jackson. The southpaw starting pitcher, fondly known as “Little Al,” pitched for the Mets from 1962-1965, and then again from 1968-1969. While most of his records have been broken, he set virtually every Mets pitching record during his time with the team.
He established a Mets single-season record for walks in 1962, which he broke himself in 1963.
He established a Mets single-season record for shutouts in a single season in 1962.
He established a Mets single-season record for strikeouts in 1962, which he then broke in 1963.
He established a Mets single-season record for wins in 1963.
He established a Mets record for all-time shutouts.
Al Jackson was one of the first Mets, and he was a great one no less… And on this Christmas day, we shouldn’t forget his impact.
Happy Birthday, Al!!
What if Wednesday: Rickey Henderson

Before the 1999 season, the Mets signed one of the best left fielders in MLB history, in Rickey Henderson. However, Henderson hadn’t made an All-Star game since 1991, nine years earlier, and was clearly entering the twilight of his career. He put up some nice numbers in 1999, winning the NL Comeback Player of the Year Award. Aside from that, his statistical impact wasn’t major, but his overall impact was tremendous…
What would’ve changed had the Mets passed up on the opportunity to sign Henderson in the winter of 1998?
- In Henderson, the Mets signed a starting left fielder and a leadoff hitter. Now that they passed on him, the Mets use in-house options to fill these two roles. Bobby Valentine slots Benny Agbayani in left field and gives the role of leadoff hitter to the team’s speedy right fielder, Roger Cedeño.
- With the Mets no longer an option, Rickey has to look elsewhere for work. He ends up going back to his hometown of Chicago, IL, and joins the speed-starved Chicago Cubs lineup.
- In Chicago, the Cubs had a nice hitter in LF already, with Henry Rodriguez, and they had superstar Sammy Sosa in right. As a result, Rickey has to man center field, which was not his primary position.
- With the addition of Henderson, the Cubs put up an ever-so-slightly better performance in 1999, finishing second-to-last in the NL Central as opposed to fourth-to-last in the entire MLB.
- After gaining a full-time spot as the Mets’ left fielder, Benny Agbayani excels, taking advantage of the depth of the left field wall. He gains a reputation as a nice power hitter and sticks around in the MLB for far longer than he actually did (he was out of the league after the 2002 season).
- However, the absence of Rickey’s impact in New York changed a lot. In reality, he acted as a mentor to Roger Cedeño, teaching him maturity and helping him develop his speed and offensive skills. Without Henderson’s presence, it’s doubtful that Cedeño would’ve ended up with 66 steals and a .313 batting average.
- With Henderson no longer in Flushing, and Cedeño giving a depleted effort, the Mets don’t end up winning the NL Wild Card spot, and miss the playoffs.
- Instead, the Cincinnati Reds snatch that NL Wild Card spot. With their subpar pitching rotation, the Reds fail to defeat the Randy Johnson-led Arizona Diamondbacks in the first round of the MLB Playoffs.
- However, the D-Backs are no match for the Braves, and they get swept right out of the playoffs.
- With all of that momentum riding into the World Series, the Braves are able to put up more of a fight against the Yankees, not getting swept. They still can’t win the series though, losing in 6 games.
- With Roger Cedeño not living up to his full potential with the absence of his would-be-mentor, Rickey Henderson, he isn’t valuable enough to be traded after the season to Houston in exchange for Mike Hampton, an All-Star in 1999.
- Hampton was a key part of the Mets 2000 playoff run, that ultimately resulted in a World Series loss to our crosstown foes, the New York Yankees. He won the NLCS MVP with two wins. Without Hampton, the Mets lose to the St. Louis Cardinals in 7 games, failing to make the World Series.
- All of these changes will lead to a bunch of other changes throughout the league…
What else do you think would’ve changed if Rickey was never a Met?
COMMENT your responses!
Trade Talk Tuesday: Troy Tulowitzki

As we’ve heard since mid-July, the Mets have been speaking to the Rockies about Troy Tulowitzki for quite some time now. And every time another rumor about these talks pops up, it seems like no more than a mean tease to us Mets fans. But, through the frequency of these talks, it seems likely that it’s more than that…
“Tulo” has been a premier shortstop in the MLB since entering the league in 2006. He has blossomed even further, becoming one of the best hitters in the National League, arguably third behind only Andrew McCutchen and Giancarlo Stanton.
There are only two concerns with Tulowitzki- his proneness to injury and his large contract. He’s guaranteed $129 million over the next 7 years, and he’ll be 37 years old when the contract expires. In terms of injuries, so far in his career, “Tulo” has had: torn quadriceps tendon, cut right palm, fractured wrist, left groin surgery, fractured right rib, injured left hip leading to labral repair surgery.
However, regardless of his downfalls, Tulowitzki is still one of the premier players in the MLB, and his addition would push the Mets over the edge and make them a potential World Series contender.
Here’s my proposal:
Mets get: Troy Tulowitzki, Rex Brothers, cash considerations
Rockies get: Noah Syndergaard, Dillon Gee, Dilson Herrera, Kevin Plawecki
This trade makes sense for both sides…
The Mets are in need of a shortstop and are clearly interested in Tulowitzki, so it goes without saying that he’d be a tremendous addition. Rex Brothers would also be a nice addition, as the Mets have been looking for a lefty bullpen arm to accompany Josh Edgin. Also, the additional cash considerations could cover a portion of Tulo’s contract.
Now, this trade also makes the Rockies more adept for future contention. They get the ace they’ve been longing for in Noah Syndergaard… Dillon Gee, who they showed tremendous interest in at the Winter Meetings, would also serve as their #2 or #3 pitcher. Dilson Herrera, a top second base prospect who has a great bat and is also a great fielder, would assume the role as the team’s starting second baseman. And Kevin Plawecki, a top catching prospect who has a nice bat, would become the team’s catcher of the future, as Wilin Rosario hasn’t been reliable enough to assume this role.
DJ LeMahieu, the team’s current second baseman, would shift to shortstop, a position that he played until midway through his college experience.
To make this deal even more enticing for Colorado, all three of the prospects that they receive are 23 or younger, and they all are expected to be fully MLB-ready by mid-season. Also, Dillon Gee is only 28 years old and won’t hit free agency until 2017.
Check out what the Mets potential lineup would be if this trade went through:
C: Travis d’Arnaud
1B: Lucas Duda
2B: Daniel Murphy
3B: David Wright
SS: Troy Tulowitzki
LF: Curtis Granderson
CF: Juan Lagares
RF: Michael Cuddyer
Now that… That’s a playoff team!
Let me know what you think about this potential trade in the COMMENT section! Would the Rockies do it? Should the Mets do it? Does this make the Mets a playoff team?
Today in Baseball: The Offseason Just Keeps on Trucking

After a highly eventful Winter Meetings, this past weekend was relatively quiet in terms of MLB transactions. We basically just saw the finalization of moves made at the Meetings, like the Twins-Ervin Santana signing, the Wade Miley-to-the-Red Sox trade, and the Astros signing of two relievers- Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek.
However, today, a few MLB transactions came to fruition:
For one, the Astros signed shortstop Jed Lowrie to a three-year deal. The deal guarantees $23 million, with another $5 million potentially added, which will be dependent on a 2018 team option. Lowrie developed in Boston, playing for the Red Sox from 2008 to 2011. After the 2011 season, he was traded to the Houston Astros in a deal that sent reliever Mark Melancon to the Red Sox. After playing just one season with the Astros, he was shipped to Oakland in exchange for a package centered around power-hitting DH/1B, Chris Carter. After playing two seasons in Oakland, Lowrie hit the free agent market. His return to Houston should be a substantial upgrade for the team, who was previously expected to play Marwin Gonzalez at short. Lowrie is a horrific baserunner, especially when you consider that he’s a shortstop, usually a position that warrants speed. However, he’s an above-average hitter, and has had some flashes of good power, and he’s quite a solid defender.
Lowrie was previously considered to be one of the many options to fill the Mets apparent void at shortstop, but now that he’s off of the market, the Mets will have to look elsewhere for such. Stephen Drew, Yoan Moncada, Jung-Ho Kang, and Brad Miller appear to be the most likely options as of today (if they don’t stick with Wilmer Flores).
The other notable move of the day was the Yankees re-signing of third baseman Chase Headley, who they’ll pay $52 million over 4 years. Headley, one of the top third basemen in the MLB today, was traded to the Yankees at last season’s trade deadline. He’s mainly known for his tremendous 2012 season, in which he won a Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, and led the NL in RBIs, but that’s not the only season in which he’s impressed. He was one of the Yankees top priorities this season, and their locking him up should be viewed as a positive move. This will likely send either Alex Rodriguez or the former Met, Chris Young, to the bench, while the other will play Designated Hitter.
Lastly, on the homefront, the Mets made two moves today, one of which resulted from the other. The Mets agreed to sign John Mayberry to a 1-year, $1.45 million contract on the last day of the Winter Meetings, last Thursday. The deal was finalized today. While not a tremendously “sexy” move, it shouldn’t go unnoticed… After signing Michael Cuddyer to play right-field, the Mets had three main priorities: signing a right-handed backup outfielder, acquiring a starting shortstop, and acquiring a left-handed relief pitcher. Through this signing, they’ve achieved one of those goals. The 30-year old outfielder hasn’t been very consistent over his six-year career, but he has displayed tremendous power at points. As a specialty backup player, Mayberry could be quite impactful. He’s a lefty-killer, an unbelievable pinch hitter, and someone whose power doesn’t apply to Citi Field, as we saw throughout his six seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies.
In order to clear up room for Mayberry on the 40-man roster, the Mets were forced to DFA Gonzalez Germen. Germen, who has constantly been called-up and sent-down by the Mets since 2013, is a 27 year old Dominican reliever. He is expected to either be sent to the Mets AAA affiliates, the Las Vegas 51s, or to hit the open market.
Today, we saw the Mets lose out on a shortstop candidate, see their crosstown rivals sign a nice player, add a solid bench piece, and DFA a fringe-MLB reliever. Now, they just need to get a shortstop…
Interview with David Aardsma

David has pitched in the MLB for 10 years, from 2004 to 2013. He pitched for the Mets in 2013. Follow him on twitter at @TheDA53.
Kings of Queens: You were drafted in the first round of the 2003 MLB Draft, which is really awesome… What was your reaction when you got the call from the Giants? What was the first thing that you bought?
David Aardsma: I was so excited to get that phone call that I actually forgot who I got drafted by, haha. My heart was pumping so fast I didn’t hear who it was, I couldn’t believe it. My lifelong dream was coming true and I couldn’t even grasp who it was that actually drafted me. haha. The first thing of significance that I bought was a car, I had been driving my sister’s Explorer so I traded that in (took the money I got for it and gave that to her) for a 2004 Navigator. It took me a good seven months before I bought it, I wanted to make sure it was exactly what I wanted.
KOQ: Who is the toughest batter that you’ve ever had to face?
DA: The toughest batter I have ever faced…. this is tough. There are several batters I have struggled with during my careers but there is definitely a pattern to them. I have made my living on getting hitters to try to hit fastballs that were either to fast or to high for them, I dont have great control but I don’t miss by a lot either. I throw my fair share of balls and I have my fair share of walks but I generally force deep count when I walk guys and am around the plate a ton. I like to challenge hitters with good rising fastballs, but there is one particular type of hitter that does well against me because of that. Some of the characteristics of hitters that I struggle against are great plate discipline, power, but willing to go with a pitch to get a hit. These hitters dont swing at my out-pitches (generally not strikes) and have the ability to drive my strike pitches. Hitters like Bobby Abreu, Mark Teixiera, Torii Hunter, Hideki Matsui. I very rarely get these hitters to swing at the pitches I want them to swing at.
KOQ: What team were you a fan of growing up? Were you bummed out the first time you had to face them?
DA: I was a huge Cubs fan growing up and thankfully never had to face them until much later, I was actually traded to them long before facing them. It was an absolute dream come true to play for them and put on the Cubs uni. It also tore my heart out when I got traded.
KOQ: What is the funniest behind-the-scenes story that you experienced during your MLB career?
DA: One of the funniest stories…. One of the funnier moments (that I can speak of
) happened with the Mets last year. Our rookie dress up was easily the best rookie dress up I have ever been around. We had all the rookies learn Disney songs to sing as duets. Then, we had them dress as a bridal party with Zach Wheeler as the bride; we also decorated the plane and had Dom Perignon champagne for the flight (I lost a bet and had to supply that). When we got to Cincinnati, there was a music festival going on outside our hotel so we made the rookies all in wedding and bridesmaids dresses go dance with the girls at the festival. Then they gave us the mic so the rookies had to sing their songs infront of about a thousand people. It was so much fun and everyone got a kick out of it. (plenty of pictures online).
KOQ: Who was the most influential person on your baseball career?
DA: My first ever pitching coach Tom Page was and still is a huge force for me. He really taught me the value of giving back to the game, never giving up, and always believing in myself. He still calls me all the time to see how I am doing.
KOQ: Do you plan on playing again, or do you consider yourself retired?
DA: I am far from retired, I think some people believe that I am retired because I didn’t pitch in the big leagues last year, but apart from an injury, I actually had a really good season. I am currently training in New Orleans, LA with Brent Pourciau of Topvelocity.net; we are getting a lot stronger than I have ever been in my career, while working on my mechanics to clean up some of the issues I had after my hip and elbow surgeries. After I had those surgeries I unknowingly changed my mechanics and got a lot weaker. I am working my butt off with Brent to get back to my old self.
KOQ: What do you plan on doing after baseball?
DA: I don’t quite know what I want to do after baseball. I have been continuing my college education throughout the last several years. Last offseason I actually did two internships with the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess a resort in Scottsdale Arizona, I worked with their events departments. First thing is I need to finish my degree (im not far at all now) then Ill figure out whats next, I have some good ideas that I’ve been kicking around for a little.
KOQ: When you first got told that you would have to undergo Tommy John Surgery, what was your reaction?
DA: I was shocked!!! I had just come off a hip surgery that I had in Jan of 2011 and on my rehab assignment I knew I had done something to my arm. There was no doubt in my mind something wasn’t right but I was just trying to stay positive. After my hip I think I tried to come back way to fast and wasnt strong enough or ready to put the loads on my arm that I had in the past. I was really eager to prove I was worth the money the Mariners just signed me for and just wasnt ready yet. It was really tough but I am a very level headed person, I never saw that as an end to anything. I am always looking forward to the next challenge.
KOQ: Who was the funniest teammate that you’ve ever had? How was your experience with the Mets organization? Do you keep in touch with any of your teammates from that season?
DA: Last year I became very close to Scott Atchison and Latroy Hawkins. There wasn’t a day that both of them didn’t have me cracking up! I also keep close with Scott Rice (who is hilarious along with his wife Ladawn) and Jeremy Hefner. I was in spring with Shaun Marcum and Aaron Herang. Josh Edgin and I keep in touch often (we were close in NY and in Vegas last year). I saw Greg Burke several times this season in Colorado Springs (great guy), I still talk to vic Black and even though we didn’t actually play together on the Mets last year Aaron Laffey and I are close from the mariners. Pedro Feliciano and can’t get away from eachother, We have played together on 3 different teams the last 3 seasons haha (so we have gotten very close). I speak with Ike Davis every now and then (arizona connection). I had a great time with the mets, they gave me an opportunity to prove myself and I am very thankful for that. As a team we all got along awesome and I loved coming to the ballpark every single day. If we could have stayed healthier I think we could have had a really good chance of competing in the east last year.
KOQ: Who is the closest friend that you’ve made during your time in the league?
DA: My closest friend in baseball? That is tough, I would have to say without a doubt Jason Bulger. We never played together but we have the same agent, we got stuck staying together in his house one year for spring training and we both hated it. We were like oil and water, but once we separated we became closer than ever. He is one of my dearest friends.
Make sure to give David a follow on Twitter