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Blue Jay Prospects Available

According to The Toronto Star, the Mets have been inquiring about one or more of the Blue Jays outfield prospects. As Jon Heyman mentioned in his article on Sunday, one of those players is Jayson Werth, a former 1st round pick of the Orioles in 1997.

Werth is not a big power guy, sporting a career minor league SLG of .420 and an AVG of .265. However, his plate discipline is top-notch, drawing 357 walks in 2411 ABs. He's also something of a human wind tunnel, striking out 567 times in those at-bats.

The other player The Star mentions is outfield stud and prize prospect Alexis Rios. Baseball America ranks him as the 6th best prospect in baseball, saying:

"His power explosion in the Puerto Rican League was his latest step in becoming the next Dave Winfield."

The Blue Jays may be looking to trade Rios because he's too much like Vernon Wells: good power, poor plate discipline. Last time I checked, however, #6 prospects don't come cheaply.

As usual, I would never trade Scott Kazmir or David Wright. Outside of that, I'd be open to offers. Aaron Heilman and Mike Jacobs maybe? Victor Diaz? Rios would be the outfield prospect the Mets have lacked. He could step right in and play right field in 2004 if they wanted, or eased into the role by 2005.

If the cost isn't too prohibitive, the Mets should definitely make this deal.