DENVER, CO - JUNE 19: Wilmer Flores #4 of the New York Mets celebrates a second inning run scored against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 19, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

Mets Rumors: Is Asdrubal Cabrera on his way to the Dodgers? by Richard Heaton

Trade rumors involving New York Mets infielder Wilmer Flores have hit the mill. They couldn’t possibly deal him, could they?

The last time the New York Mets put Wilmer Flores on the trade block, we saw tears stream down his face. The potential 2015 deal which would have sent Flores in a package to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder Carlos Gomez ultimately fell apart. It’s a good thing it did. The Mets ended up with Yoenis Cespedes and a trip to the World Series instead.

This year, Flores may not get so lucky. The team is desperate to sell its MLB pieces in order to bring back some young talent. According to the trade rumor mill, Flores may end up as one of the casualties.

I have a tough time believing the Mets would deal Flores. The return they could get back doesn’t outweigh the love fans have for him. Flores’ regular walk-off hits and often overlooked positive attitude give this franchise a good guy to root for. Right now, it’s what this team desperately needs.

Every fan has a “last straw” moment with their favorite team’s front office. My guess is there are a lot of fans out there who would completely check out from the 2018 season if Flores was traded. Though somewhat ridiculous to do over a part-time player, I get it. I understand this more than if the Mets were to trade Jacob deGrom.

Flores is under control through next season. If a year from now the team is in a similar spot, I would get why trading Flores is the correct move. He could always come back via free agency after helping another team potentially win it all.

Since he was 16-years-old, Flores has been a part of the Mets organization. Way back in 2008, he made his debut as a promising young infielder. It was a slow yet successful climb to the big leagues for him.

There are plenty of holes in Flores’ game. He doesn’t draw very many walks, sure. However, he also strikes out on average 74 times per 162 games. Unafraid to swing the bat, Flores has benefitted from this aggressiveness at the plate.

Flores is more valuable to the Mets than he is to anyone else. For this reason, I don’t see anyone offering them a reasonable offer via trade.

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Ask me next year when he’s closer to free agency and I may think differently. This year, I can confidently say Flores will finish the year in New York.