Boxing Day comes the day after Christmas and it’s the perfect time to take a look at some of the contracts the New York Mets wish they could return.
The day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day. In places like Canada, people box up their least favorite gifts received the day before and return them to the store. If only it was so easy for the New York Mets to do the same.
The Mets have had a few bad contracts in recent years. The current roster has quite a few fans would like to see get dumped onto another organization.
Excluding the unrealistic possibility of the Mets finding a taker for Robinson Cano, I believe these three teams may have at least some interest in a deal with Brodie Van Wagenen for one of the bad contracts on the payroll.
Jed Lowrie – Toronto Blue Jays
Mets fans have about as much connection to Jed Lowrie as I do to my neighbor’s great-grandfather—whoever they are and whoever he is.
Lowrie missed almost all of 2019 and became a punchline because of his everlasting injury that seemed to evolve as the year went on. Moving him and his $10 million would be a godsend to the 2020 payroll.
Offseason trade rumors have linked the Mets to a few teams. Lowrie’s old team, the Oakland Athletics, is one of them. However, the Mets would probably need to eat more of the deal than they would be willing to. The Texas Rangers are another squad that has been mentioned. In these rumors, the Mets would need to pair Lowrie with Dominic Smith to make it happen.
Another team worth considering are the Toronto Blue Jays. Even though they could have Travis Shaw at first base in 2020, a package of Smith and Lowrie could make sense for the Blue Jays. The roster has plenty of room for some veteran players behind the young up-and-coming stars that make up their current core.
If lucky enough to pull off a miracle, maybe the Mets are even able to swipe Ken Giles away from Toronto. It may require them to include a lower level prospect or eat a larger portion of Lowrie’s deal. Either way, I think the Blue Jays are a team with available room to take on a bad deal.