Mets are being scouted by the Giants, who are in need of starting pitching

Giants executive VP Brian Sabean has been at Citi Field this weekend watching the Mets vs. Nationals series, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.

Rubin notes that the Giants are in need of starting pitching help and may be interested in upgrading at third base as well, with Casey McGehee struggling.

On the starting pitching side of things, the Giants are without both Jake Peavy and Matt Cain, with no clear timetable for the return of either.

The Giants are 11-13, and sit 4.5 games out of first place in the National League West.

Thoughts:

This certainly bears watching, with the Mets interested in trading Dillon Gee, and with Dilson Herrera‘s recent callup from Triple-A Las Vegas resulting in Daniel Murphy shifting to third base for the time being.

As far as moving Gee goes, the Mets have made no secret about their desire to trade him, and the apparently minor shoulder injury to Rafael Montero should do nothing to deter them if they’re able to find a taker.

Both Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz are dominating right now for Triple-A Las Vegas, and opening a spot for Syndergaard in the starting rotation sooner rather than later should be one of the Mets’ top priorities.

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If the Mets deal Gee and insert Syndergaard into the rotation, they’ll still have Matz and Matthew Bowman as immediate depth, with Montero likely returning in a few weeks to give them a third additional starting pitcher should they need reinforcements.

The idea of trading Daniel Murphy is a bit more complicated.

I was of the opinion that with Murphy almost certainly departing via free agency after this season, the Mets should’ve shopped him vigorously this offseason. That didn’t happen, but they can still get something for Murphy before he leaves, while filling his position from within in the process.

As it stands, Dilson Herrera is set to play second base until David Wright returns – perhaps in about a week. As the roster is currently constructed, the plan would then be for Herrera to head back to Triple-A Las Vegas while Murphy shifts back to second base.

If the Mets were to deal Murphy, they would have a host of options.

1. Dilson Herrera could play second base, with Wilmer Flores at shortstop.

2. Dilson Herrera could play second base, with Matt Reynolds at shortstop.

3. Wilmer Flores could play second base, with Matt Reynolds at shortstop.

4. Matt Reynolds could play second base, with Wilmer Flores at shortstop.

Any of the four potential alignments above is better than the middle infield of Flores and Murphy, which appears to be an alignment that is untenable for the long-term.

The Mets should really be aggressive here. Make it known to San Francisco that both Gee and Murphy are available, and pull the trigger if an opportunity presents itself to move one or both.