Tony La Russa messing up the White Sox season is a gift for the Mets

The New York Mets might have an unexpected major trade target to pursue from the sad 2022 Chicago White Sox.

Many predicted the White Sox would represent the American League in the 2022 World Series. It’s not going to happen. They have a roadblock named Tony La Russa in the way. Having already called for an intentional walk earlier this year on a 1-2 count to Trea Turner, his latest folly was doing the same to Jose Ramirez when he was down 0-1.

The White Sox are slipping further below .500 and on their way to selling, rather than buying. For a team like the Mets in the position to add offense, Jose Abreu suddenly makes a lot more sense.

The Mets starting lineup could look a lot different with Jose Abreu as their DH

Imagine Jose Abreu in the middle of the Mets starting lineup hitting fourth or fifth. Does it really matter? The man can mash. He can smash. He can be a partner in crime with Pete Alonso. Anything the Polar Bear doesn’t clean up on the bases, Abreu will be right there to empty them.

Since joining the big leagues, Abreu has been an absolute RBI machine. In each of his full seasons, 100 RBI have been added to his resume.

As the Mets ponder what they should do at the DH spot, La Russa is making it much more viable for one of baseball’s best sluggers to end up in Flushing.

Abreu is a pure rental, set to hit free agency after this season. While his home run power hasn’t been quite there this season, a part of the blame could be due to his slow start. He might also not reach 100 RBI. Again, he wasn’t so great early on this season nor have most of his White Sox teammates.

On the Mets, it could be a different story. Earlier this season, New York was scoring runs in abundance. They weren’t doing it much with home runs. Instead, guys like Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte were reaching base. Alonso and Francisco Lindor took advantage of all of those runners on base ahead of them. They have, for most of 2022, been among the league leaders at driving in runs.

As a right-handed hitter with a lifetime average of over .300 versus left-handed pitching and a slugging percentage versus southpaws in the mid .500s, there is little doubt he’s someone for the Mets to target.

The question does become how much it could cost. Despite his age and rental status, the White Sox will want something good in return for one of their longtime fan favorites. Billy Eppler will have to decide how much of the future is worth sacrificing in order to land this slugger.