Sandy Alderson to “Overpay” in Trade? Ha!
Sandy Alderson claims he is “prepared to overpay” in a trade to bolster the Mets sagging lineup. This may come as a shock, but do not count on Alderson backing up his words.
I am not the only one who feels this way. One rival executive told the Daily News, “I’d be surprised if he’s ever made a trade where he believed he overpaid.”
I would be surprised if he even makes a trade at all. Alderson has been the Mets GM for more than four years (including five off seasons), and he has made a whopping total of 14 trades. Hell, the new GM of the Padres seemingly made more deals than that this winter alone. Only nine of Alderson’s trades had any significant impact on the team, and of the other five, two of them involved Collin Cowgill!
Here are all the trades Alderson has made:
3/15 Cory Mazzoni-Alex Torres
That is not a great track record. Except for acquiring Wheeler, d’Arnaud and Syndergaard, none of these trades has done much for the team. Black and Herrera still have potential. Blevins was pitching well before going down with an injury. And Alex Torres is perfectly serviceable. But other than that, nothing.
Sandy Alderson has never really shown much interest in making trades. Granted, the Mets do not have much talent to deal. And Alderson correctly does not want to trade the players other teams might want. So this requires creativity, a skill the Baseball Maverick does not seem to possess.
But now is a time that screams out for creativity. Alderson has to figure out how to bring in an impact bat without giving up one of his prized young pitchers. Can he do it? History says no. But let’s hope Sandy Alderson has learned from his own history and does not doom the Mets by repeating it.