According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Yankees are interested in Lucas Duda. This rumor makes sense. Let’s grade it.
MLB trade rumor grades: Lucas Duda to the Yankees?
The Yankees need a first baseman, and the Mets have one. Makes sense, right?
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
I’m not sure when the tipping point was for Duda, when he made the transition from “kinda old for a prospect” or “poor man’s Adam Dunn” to a reliable power threat. He’s had an OPS+ between 130 and 137 in three out of the last four seasons, with the fourth easily explained away by injuries. He’s been a steady 25- or 30-homer hitter, and he’s patient enough to not worry about the low batting average. He’s pretty good at baseballing.
Duda is also 31 and a pending free agent. It feels like he’s been on the Mets for 17 years, which means it feels like he should be with them for 17 more, but it’s hard to see the organization committing to an over-30 first baseman with old-player skills. They don’t have that kind of scratch.
The Yankees have used eight different first basemen this year, and they’ve combined for a .208/.295/.391 line, which is ghastly. The good news for them is that there are a ton of first basemen available, from the short-term rental (Yonder Alonso) to the long-term solution (Brandon Belt). The Yankees will improve their lot at first base. It’s a question of whom, not ... if’m.
Duda makes sense, then. A lot of sense, especially as left-handed power in a park built for left-handed power. But does this rumor seem legit? To the grades!
What the Mets would gain from trading Lucas Duda
Prospects. Hopefully a couple of them.
Not everything needs to be complicated, and it’s not like the Mets are going to sign him to an extension. The last rumor of a Duda/Mets contract was in 2015, if I’m using my Google powers correctly, and they probably aren’t keen on committing to arbitration and a potential one-year payday. That would mean they would lose him for nothing.
So take the prospects. Hopefully a couple of them.
What the Yankees would gain from trading for Lucas Duda
Dingers. Hopefully a few of them.
Not everything needs to be complicated, and the good thing for the Yankees is that all of these rentals are also going to flood the free-agent market, too, so if they don’t want to worry about a long-term solution, they don’t have to. Get the cheaper rentals, and worry about 2018 later.
If you’re comparing the rentals, Duda has an advantage to Alonso when it comes to reliability. We’re just a few months into this new, strange Yonder Alonso, whereas Duda has been a known quantity for years.
Alonso would have the advantage when it comes to health, though. Duda is usually good for a DL trip or three in a given season.
And if you’re wondering about the Mets and Yankees making a trade, there are probably two things to remember:
- The Jose Quintana trade was a good example of just how little crosstown rivals care about that stuff.
- Not only is there a little history of them trading together, including a David Justice-for-Robin Ventura blockbuster, the Yankees also acquired Armando Benitez from the Mets. That’s the perfect way to explain how little teams care about rivalries on a team and personal level.
Rumor grade
Yeah, that’s a cool B+, and the only reason it doesn’t get an A is because of all the options. The Yankees could really want Brandon Belt on what amounts to a four-year, $69 million contract. They could want a lower-priced, two-year deal. Or they could want a rental, and it’s just a matter of their scouts preferring Duda or Alonso.
They’ll do something, though. This rumor makes as much sense as any.
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