Final Conclusion About The Dark Knight
It’s really a tough call for the Mets and it all depends on what they really want to do with Harvey along with what they think will be best for the organization not only now but beyond as well. Harvey is one of the finest out there, and you never want to lose or give away a pitcher in Harvey’s caliber.
But even though they’re in win-now mode, the Mets also have to look towards the future as well. The fact that the Mets have surplus of pitching, can make their plan even easier, knowing that they have others who can fill the void as well as Matt, if they trade him.
Even with the Mets strong rotation, they were barely above .500 in midseason because their offense struggled mightily. Once Sandy brought some offensive help with the July trade acquisitions, the Mets offense took off and so did the team’s winning ways. With Yoenis Cespedes and Daniel Murphy’s expected departure, the Mets would definitely be in a need for offense and trading a starter like Harvey could bring a young and even bigger bat than the Mets could get in the free agent market.
One specific rumor had the Mets possibly trading Harvey to the Boston Red Sox for Xander Bogaerts and/or Mookie Betts. Bogaerts is already one of the best young shortstops out there and would instantly be an upgrade over Wilmer Flores and Ruben Tejada. Betts is a young outfielder who can hit for power and has speed. He can fill in at centerfield as well, which would be big if Cespedes is gone. Jackie Bradley Jr. was also mentioned in trade talks and while he can be a risk with his struggles in 2015, he is young with potential as well. Plus he is an outfielder too.
These rumored players for example, could be good trades because the Mets would get a young, proven hitter with potential in return.
Pitching still wins championships and the Mets nearly did so in 2015 with their rotation.
This young rotation has the potential to be one of the best ever if not the best. However, the Mets cannot afford to have an offense in 2016 that struggled mightily during the middle portion of 2015.
So in a final say, I would want the Mets to do everything to keep a pitcher like Harvey and even sign a mega deal with him long-term in order to cement the idea of building around pitching.
In reality though, it could be tough to do so, and the Mets have to be smart on not only how they spend their money but in creating balance and trying to fill needs. Sometimes sacrificing a big part could be worth it if the player in return becomes a huge hitter for us for years.
