3) NY Mets left-handed trade target A.J. Puk
A little tough to pry away, A.J. Puk is close enough to arbitration where the Oakland Athletics might be willing to listen to offers. The former sixth overall pick is having a solid year out of the bullpen for arguably the worst team in baseball. Is he the next player they trade away?
After 35 innings this year in 31 appearances, Puk is 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA. He has averaged 1.8 walks and 9.3 strikeouts each per nine innings of work. He is right in line with the two names previously mentioned. There is a great benefit to landing him because of his age, 27.
Puk would be someone the Mets could build with for a couple of years. He is young, under team control, and might have a lot of upside. The team has a lot of empty spaces in their bullpen as soon as next year. Puk could be one of the guys to fill a hole.
The price on Puk is different from Mantiply and Chafin. It should be higher. Mantiply happened to unexpectedly work out for Arizona. Chafin was already a well-known name before landing in Detroit.
Puk isn’t far enough removed from being a noted pitching prospect for Oakland. His age should make him a little higher to acquire. It can’t hurt to try.