Ryan Braun rumors: ‘Absolutely nothing’ true about Mets trade talk

Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin has put an early end to the rumor that all-star outfielder Ryan Braun might be traded to the Mets, saying there is "absolutely nothing" to the speculation and that the team has no intention of dealing him, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

The Braun rumor mill started churning Wednesday when Matthew Cerrone at Mets Blog reported that the Brewers were more likely to deal the former MVP for Mets first baseman Ike Davis than slap-hitting right fielder Norichika Aoki. A follow-up story about New York was having "internal discussions" in regards to Braun only fueled the hype machine further, but it's all now debunked.

Even if the deal had been something on the table, it's unlikely the Mets would have surrendered the players necessary to land Braun. Mike Puma of the NY Post reports that any deal for the troubled left fielder would have likely included top Mets pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard, whom GM Sandy Alderson has said is off-limits.

A Braun-for-Davis+ deal made a certain amount of sense on its face. The Brewers are in dire need of first-base help and are looking to free up room for Khris Davis, while the Mets are on the prowl for outfielders. But, alas, it appears there's destined to be only one blockbuster trade this week.