clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Rumor Mill: Mets, Royals to swap 2B?

The Mets could be close to trading Jeff Keppinger:

The Royals and Mets appear close to completing a trade of minor-league second basemen: Ruben Gotay for Jeff Keppinger.

Gotay, 23, is batting .264 in 87 games at Class AAA Omaha after spending parts of the two previous seasons in the big leagues and batting .242 in 130 games.

Keppinger, 26, is batting .297 in 85 games at Class AAA Norfolk. He batted .284 in 2004 in 33 games for the Mets.

Keppinger has some nice tools and is actually drawing a few walks this year. Many fans were clamoring for his callup early this season before Pornstache emerged as the keystone powerhouse we all knew he would be when he signed for $912,500 guaranteed smackers before this season.

Gotay was a part-time player for the Royals in 2004 and 2005, which should give you an indication of his value. His combined batting line is .242/.297/.355, though he is hitting a respectable .269/.327/.409 in AAA this season. The biggest difference between these two is their ages, as Keppinger is mighty old for a prospect while Gotay, at 23, is still on the fringe.

Source = Kansas City Star