MLB Trade Deadline Update: Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson
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The New York Mets made a move to upgrade their offense for their playoff hunt, acquiring Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson from the Atlanta Braves for minor league pitchers John Grant and Rob Whalen.
Uribe and Johnson figure to improve an offense that is last in the National League in batting average, slugging percentage, and runs scored. Both of them are hitting over .270 this season.
The Mets have just promoted Michael Conforto from the AA Binghamton Mets to try to help their anemic offensive. These moves, along with the returns of catcher Travis d’Arnaud and third baseman David Wright, could be just what the Mets need to make their playoff push.
This is Uribe’s second trade this season, after being traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Braves in May. Uribe, who is comfortable playing second and third base, will probably play at third until Wright comes off of the disabled list. After that, he will likely move to second base.
Johnson is a versatile player who has played at five different positions this season: first base, second base, third base, left field, and right field. This could give the Mets some much-needed depth at a couple of positions.
This trade gives the Mets that added depth as well as some offense to go along with a strong pitching staff. They are currently 3 games behind the Washington Nationals for the National League East title and 2.5 games out of the second Wild Card spot.
All statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com
[…] up Michael Conforto in left. The Mets have been trying to beef up their offense, first with a trade that brought in Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson from the Atlanta Braves, and now for a center fielder […]