Would the Phillies make an inter-divisional trade with their hated rival?
Phillies general manager Matt Klentak has a full plate heading into the baseball winter meetings in Orlando next week. One of his biggest goals should be moving one of his young middle infielders Freddy Galvis or Cesar Hernandez in exchange for pitching.
Hernandez has been linked to the Los Angeles Angels as a replacement for Brandon Phillips, but now another team has emerged as a potential trade partner.
Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports says the New York Mets are interested in acquiring Herandez to fill their vacancy at second base. Ian Kinsler, Dee Gordon, Brian Dozier and Jason Kipnis were also named as potential trade candidates.
Entering his third season as general manager Klentak has only made one trade within the NL East when he sent Howie Kendrick to the Washington Nationals. That’s not to say he’s reluctant to make those types of moves, but it’s telling considering the majority of the Phillies’ assets are younger players.
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Hernandez makes sense for the Mets considering he’s young and brings multiple tools to the table. New York had the fourth-fewest stolen bases last year, one less than Philadelphia, and could use Hernandez as a leadoff hitter who can advance to second with ease.
New York has a ton of young pitching outside of their major league rotation, however, most of that talent is two or three years away from being an impact at the major league level. If the Phillies look further down the Mets top 30 prospect list Jordan Humphreys and Corey Oswalt could be mid-season call-up candidates. Humphrey, the Mets 13th overall prospect, struck out 80 batters and walked just nine in Single-A.
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I anticipate Klentak making at least one major move next week, and Hernandez could be the domino that falls. Look for a veteran starter to be added in a trade or free agency, although it’s unlikely the Mets ship someone such as Matt Harvey to Philadelphia in a Hernandez trade.