Mets not fielding Rosario inquiries
OXON HILL, Md. — Amed Rosario is not going anywhere...except maybe a different position. The Mets top prospect’s name came up frequently in trade talk this week, but suitors were told he was not available, Sandy Alderson said Thursday.
“We’ve made that clear before and continue to make it clear when his name is mentioned,” the Mets GM said. “So I think clubs have gotten the message.”
The 21-year-old shortstop hit .324 with an .833 OPS in 529 plate appearances between high ClassA and Double-A this season.
He may be immune from trade rumors, but he will not be exempt from the organization’s new emphasis on versatility.
“I think that’s a very real possibility,” Alderson said. “He’s athletic enough. We’re not going to harm him by playing him somewhere else. We know what he can do at shortstop. So, if we want to move him around while he’s still in the minor leagues in order to fill a role potentially more than shortstop at the major league level, even if on a temporary basis, then I think that’s important for him to be able to do that.”
Rosario was signed in 2012 and given a $1.75 million bonus, the largest the Mets have ever given to an international player.
“He can be an outstanding player, I think that’s why he’s considered our No. 1 prospect at a premium position,” Alderson said.
“I don’t think the top two or three guys are going to set the market for the bottom 80,” Alderson said. “I don’t think that is going to be the pace. It might have caused some agents to pause, some clubs to pause, but I don’t think ultimately those guys are going to set the market for the majority of the relief pitching out there.”
Like with Mark Melancon’s $62 million deal with the Giants, Alderson did not have any specific thoughts about what the Yankees paid for Chapman’s services.
“I don’t have an analysis. Maybe nobody involved had an analysis, I don’t know,” Alderson said with a smile. AP