deadline fallout

There's no question that he has enjoyed a remarkable comeback campaign; his .293/.389/.523 "triple-slash" rates are the fifth-, third- and fourth-best single-season numbers in his career. He has also maintained healthy 100-RBI and 93-run full-season paces for the upstart New York Mets, and has managed .318/.409/.589 rates and hit eight of his 14 home runs at pitching-friendly Citi Field. But this is a Mets team that averaged a lower team OPS and considerably fewer runs per game after Aug. 1 than before it in each of the past two seasons; the team had a .719 OPS and averaged 4.29 runs per game before Aug. 1 in 2009 and 10, but only .703/3.75 numbers after it. Getting out of the National League East, which sports five of the top 12 starting pitchers on our Player Rater, will also help. Among Beltran's potential destinations -- the projected impact of his addition to those teams' playoff chances are discussed in this Buster Olney blog -- the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers have all scored more runs than the Mets so far and the Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies are each within range, potentially providing the outfielder a counting-numbers (RBI/runs) boost. He's also a free agent at year's end, and one can only think he'd be plenty motivated if thrust into a pennant race.
Lucas Duda: He's already playing every day, having started 12 of the Mets' past 15 games at first base, but once the team gets Jose Reyes and David Wright back into the lineup, first base could again be cluttered, as Daniel Murphy is a candidate to return there. A Beltran deal would open up right field, a more natural spot for Duda. He was a .310/.398/.606 hitter in 108 games in Triple-A from 2010-11, and might provide some sneaky pop in NL-only leagues.

He's already playing every day, having started 12 of the Mets' past 15 games at first base, but once the team gets Jose Reyes and David Wright back into the lineup, first base could again be cluttered, as Daniel Murphy is a candidate to return there. A Beltran deal would open up right field, a more natural spot for Duda. He was a .310/.398/.606 hitter in 108 games in Triple-A from 2010-11, and might provide some sneaky pop in NL-only

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