Mets Predicted To Trade 'Lowest Hanging Fruit' Starter; Brewers Should Pounce

One team's lowest hanging fruit is another team's salvation, as they say

Mar 16, 2017; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; A view of a New York Mets hat and glove in the dugout during a spring training game against the Washington Nationals at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers need to beef up their pitching rotation with some depth.

Brandon Woodruff and Aaron Civale still haven’t returned from the Injured List, and since the season started, Nestor Cortes was sent to the 60-day IL, and now even Freddy Peralta is day-to-day.

Leading up to the trade deadline, the Brewers should be talking to teams with expendable starting pitchers, and one of those clubs is the New York Mets.

On Tuesday, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller noted that a Mets 28-year-old right-hander performing well this season is nonetheless expected to be moved, and the Brewers have reason to pounce.

“When (the Mets) lost Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas to injuries in quick succession early in spring training, it looked like their season might fall apart at the seams,” Miller wrote.

“Instead, the likes of David Peterson, Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill have stepped up in a massive way.”

“New York's starting rotation has MLB's lowest ERA to date.”

“The expectation remains that both Manaea and Montas will return from their muscle strains long before the trade deadline, probably in June. At that point, the early saviors of this rotation would become rather expendable.”

“As the impending free agent of the bunch, Canning is surely the lowest hanging fruit. He has been excellent thus far, but he had a 4.78 ERA over the previous six seasons with the Angels. He'll likely hit the trade block as soon as either Manaea or Montas is back.”

Entering Tuesday, Canning was a very impressive 5-1 with a 2.50 ERA in seven starts (36 innings pitched).

Canning is exactly the kind of target the Brewers can’t afford to pass up, and he shouldn’t cost too much given that he’s on a $4.3 million expiring deal.

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