The New York Mets lead the National League East with an 11-7 record, the best of any NL team not in the West division; nevertheless, the Amazin’s have struggled in center field throughout the season. Tyrone Taylor, a 31-year-old former Milwaukee Brewer, and 29-year-old Tampa Bay Rays exile Jose Siri have shared time there, collecting only eight hits in 69 plate appearances between the two. Taylor owns seven of them, while Siri has walked four. Siri, the Mets’ centerfielder, was placed on the 10-day injured list on Thursday with a fracture to his left tibia, also known as the shin bone.
Siri suffered the fracture after fouling a ball off his leg and will be “out for a while,” according to Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. The injury appears to give Taylor the full-time job, but it also provides an opportunity for the Mets to adopt a more definitive approach. With their top prospect Roman Anthony appearing to have nothing left to show at Triple-A, the Boston Red Sox, already stocked with outfielders, may soon need to make place for another. The Mets need a centerfielder, and the Red Sox have one in 24-year-old Curaçao native Ceddanne Rafaela, who has already established himself as one of MLB’s best defensive players at the position.
According to Fangraphs, the third-year player recorded 12 defensive runs saved in centerfield last season, tying him for seventh in the MLB among all center fielders with at least 600 innings. Jarren Duran, the MVP of last year’s All-Star Game, led all centerfielders with 17. Rafaela is also an appealing trade candidate for any other team as he has already inked an eight-year, $50 million contract extension that keeps him under team control until the 2031 season.
With Duran pushed from center to left field to begin the season – but easily able to return to center – and Anthony on the way, Rafaela appears disposable from the Red Sox’s standpoint. The Mets’ only question may be how much they value the exceptional defense in terms of prospects.
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