Mets acquire Uribe, Kelly Johnson from Braves
After calling up top prospect Michael Conforto, the Mets are again making moves on Friday. Now they’ve acquired third baseman Juan Uribe and utility man Kelly Johnson from the Braves in exchange for prospects John Gant and Robert Whalen. The deal has been confirmed by Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com but not made official by either team yet.
Especially in light of the injuries to Travis d’Arnaud and David Wright, offense has been an issue for the Mets, as they entered Friday last in the NL in runs scored, batting average and slugging percentage. The additions of Uribe and Johnson will add some punch to the order.
Uribe, 36, is hitting .272/.331/.409 with eight homers and 23 RBI in stints for the Dodgers and Braves this season. He has lots of playoff experience and has long been known as a great teammate. The best bet is Uribe takes over third base with Daniel Murphy shifting back to second — and maybe not starting every day — and Wilmer Flores becoming a bench player or sharing time at short with Ruben Tejada.
Johnson, 33, is hitting .275/.321/.451 with nine homers and 34 RBI this season. He’s played first, second, third, left and right this season. He’s a viable option at second over Murphy and could also be used to spell Curtis Granderson in right or protect Conforto from tough matchups early in his big-league career. He could, of course, also give Uribe days off at third. Johnson will be valuable with his versatility.
Juan Uribe (left) and Kelly Johnson are taking their bats to Queens. (USATSI)
As for the Braves’ return, Whalen is a 21-year-old right-handed pitcher. In 15 outings (14 starts) for high Class A St. Lucie this season, he’s 4-5 with a 3.36 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 61 strikeouts against 34 walks in 83 innings.
Gant, 22, is a 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher. In 17 starts this season (six for high Class A, 11 for Double-A), he’s 6-5 with a 3.52 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 91 strikeouts against 36 walks in 99 2/3 innings.
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