Trading Juan Lagares would be a disastrous mistake for Mets
By Zach Houle
It makes absolutely no sense for the New York Mets to even consider trading outfielder Juan Lagares.
After a rough season last year, the New York Mets made big-time moves to get back into World Series contention in 2018. The club went out and acquired starting pitcher Jason Vargas and reliever Anthony Swarzak. That will benefit the team as they will have more flexibility on that side of the ball. Offensively, the Mets signed Jay Bruce to a multi-year deal. With that said, the club has gone out and shored up its issues. With the Washington Nationals clear-cut favorites to win the NL East, New York has its work cut out.
Does that sound like a team that should trade one of its best young players?
According to a Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets aren’t closing the door on the idea of trading Juan Lagares, and that’s dumb. If the team is going for a return to the World Series, wouldn’t it make sense to hang onto a guy who helped them get their a few years ago? Lagares is a good defensive center fielder. His bat is streaky, but he makes up for that with his glove. The club probably won’t get anything valuable enough to help this season. Lagares comes with 2-years of control with an option.
He had an underwhelming season at the plate in 2017, as he hit .250 with 3 home runs and 15 RBI in 272 ABs. So interested teams are in on him for the glove. The main reason the Mets could trade Lagares is that youngster Brandon Nimmo is on the cusp of performing at the major league level.
With that said, the Mets shouldn’t deal unless they’re getting help at the big league club, which is highly unlikely. The team should wait on him and see if he rebounds, then see if anyone wants him. At the very least, New York will have better defense in center with him out there. Also, he can be an insurance policy for an injury situation.
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Overall, the Mets should hold onto Juan Lagares, as he is a valuable asset on the defensive side of the ball. If the team isn’t blown away with an offer, there should be no reason to trade him. Michael Conforto will be on the DL for a good chunk of the season, so Lagares is a solid depth piece at least. Furthermore, they can wait for him to rebuild value during the season. The Mets shouldn’t overreact because of some interest, they should hold onto their chips and cash them in later.