Mets Shortstop Trade Chips: Amed Rosario vs. Andres Gimenez

Amed Rosario

Rosario has developed into one of the interesting case studies in baseball. His combination of youth, speed, and potential would make him a major trade piece on the open market. What team wouldn’t be interested in adding a 25-year-old player who is MLB ready and plays one of the most pivotal positions in the sport?

There’s a lot to like about Rosario’s profile. Over the course of his four-year major league career, he as posted a .268 batting average, and 162 game averages of 13 home runs, 59 RBI, and 20 stolen bases per season. He also already has 403 MLB games and 1,478 at-bats under his belt.

There are increasingly few players capable of posting this type of production in both power and speed. Combine this early success with the fact that Rosario was once the #2 overall rated prospect and there is clear reason to believe that he could make another leap into the rank of elite shortstops.

This begs the question: Why would the Mets even consider moving a player with this potential? And why was he losing playing time to a rookie? There are a few reasons why Rosario could be moved.

He has yet to capitalize on his full potential in four MLB seasons. He shows the skills of a plus defensive player. Yet, he as flashed a concerningly inconsistent glove. He is also considered to be one of the fastest players in baseball. Yet, his career-high in stolen bases is 19. To make matters worse, he did not record a single steal in 46 games last season.

This has raised serious questions about whether there is a cap to his ceiling in New York City. He, like many other players before him, may benefit from a change in scenery. This conversation becomes more interesting when one considers…