Atlanta Braves Getting Trade Hit on Arodys Vizcaino?

Oct 5, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jeurys Familia (27) reacts during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants in the National League wild card playoff baseball game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Trading Arodys Vizcaino?

If the Mets were to come calling, this is something that the Braves would certainly listen on, but it wouldn’t be done lightly, either.

Right now, the bullpen projects to be fairly good, though experience could be an issue.  Recall that the Braves traded Shae Simmons to Seattle just two weeks ago in the deal that briefly sent Mallex Smith there as well (he’s now a Ray).

At the same time, there is some depth here.  The Braves would have… without Vizcaino:

• Jim Johnson
• Mauricio Cabrera
• Josh Collmenter as the “long” man
• Ian Krol
• Chaz Roe
• Rule 5 pick Armando Rivero
• (Possibly) A.J. Minter
• (Possibly) Jordan Walden
• Also in the mix would include Jason Hursh, Matt Marksberry, et al

Would the Braves miss Vizcaino? Yes, but perhaps not terribly so… and his absence could open a spot for another one of these players.

The Needs In Gotham City

The Met’s problem is complex:

• Jeurys Familia is the best they have for relief… except that it is very likely he will be suspended.  Anything from 30 to 50 games is probably on the table.
• They could thus use someone with closer experience.  Unfortunately for them, most of those readily attainable options are now gone.
• Even with Familia, they are hurting.  Their depth chart suggests names like Addison Reed (he was excellent last year… and was used for 80 games), Hansel Robles (3.48), … and then things get pretty ugly.
• They also have a comical surplus of outfielders – with no “real” center fielder among them (the latter being a problem that the Braves can’t help them with).

Even relievers have gotten expensive – both contractually and in the trade market.  We’ve seen a lot of that over the past year-plus as teams have deal Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, Tyler Thornburg, Craig Kimbrel (twice), Jeremy Jeffress, Will Smith, and Ken Giles – just to name a few.

As the starting pitching trade prices have soared, so have the prices for relievers.  Vizcaino recently agreed to avoid arbitration – his 2nd of 4 arb years – at a $1.55 million price point.  That be certainly be appealing to the frugal/thrifty/tightwad(?) Mets.

Another need for the Mets involves catching… and if the Mets wanted to engage here, that’s an area of possible surplus for Atlanta as well – though at this time, Anthony Recker is probably the only readily tradable asset… so maybe not.

But Braves’ fans don’t really care about all of that… they want to know what Coppy could fleece from that Mets this year.

Here’s Where It Gets Interesting

Trading with a division rival is rare.  The Braves have actually done quite a bit of this lately, making deals with the Mets (sending out Kelly Johnson twice in two years), plus a trade with the Marlins involving Hunter Cervenka.

But those trades involved role players from a non-competitive team.  Now the Braves are getting close to being competitive, while the Mets are at a point in which they are seeing a window of opportunity start to close on them.

Moreover, would the Mets want to add fuel to Atlanta’s rebuild fire?  Adding players that might be then used against them for years to come?

It is for that reason that I expect Atlanta might be one of the last options that New York would be inclined to go with to fill bullpen needs.

Besides, there are several directions the Braves could go in an attempt to make the Metropolitans regret they had asked:

• Michael Conforto.  Admittedly, when the Mets informed Jay Bruce that he’s their right-fielder, that relegated Conforto to the bench, which is a terrible idea.  Still, that’s a price I believe the Mets would never agree to.
• Juan Lagares.  If Conforto gets the bench, then Lagares gets the end of the bench.  Atlanta needs a fourth outfielder now, but it would really require more than just Lagares to get Vizcaino pried loose.
• Brandon Nimmo.  Like Conforto, this would be a coup for the Braves, though again, he feels like a bit too much for Vizcaino.  Still, with prices as they are and the Mets having 2-3 spare outfielders… it can’t hurt to ask, right?
• A better fit might be Desmond Lindsay. Drafted in 2015, this outfielder projects as a more athletic option with solid grades across the board.  He’s quite a ways from the majors, so I would also want one of their best catching prospects.  I would guess that the Mets might be more willing here.

Want to really shoot for the moon? Ask for ZacK Wheeler or Robert Gsellman.  Both would be rejected (even if Atlanta would agree to take Jay Bruce and his contract via Coppy’s Catch-and-Release program), but so long as we’re playing the game, let’s play to win.

Look:  this whole thing was born out of the speculation of somebody who is guessing.  He’s clearly right – the Mets need bullpen help.  But would they actually come to the Braves to get their needs met?

The guess from this side is “no” – they wouldn’t.  But if that’s wrong, I do think the Braves would have a response ready to suggest.

Next: Maybe 2 Atlanta MVPs? Ryan and Freeman?

I just wouldn’t hold my breath.  But it’s fun to play the game.