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The New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves have swapped Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson to the Mets in exchange for two minor leaguers, according to CBS Sports.
This is a move made to dramatically improve the offense of the Mets that is one of the worst in MLB. Johnson performed well in his Mets debut earlier this evening with a home run.
Uribe, 36, will likely become the starting third basemen immediately. He has posted a .285/.353/.464 batting line with seven homers and 17 RBI in 167 plate appearances ever since he was traded to the Braves earlier in the season. He’s a 15-year veteran that has had some great offensive seasons. Last year, Uribe had a .311 BA with 9 HR and 54 RBI.
The Mets are dead last in BA (.233) in the entire MLB. Uribe will help the third base position, which has been filled by a half of a dozen players, including an injured David Wright. The captain of the Mets, Wright, has been dealing with spinal stenosis, which has caused him to miss most of the season. The move could mean that maybe Wright won’t be back with the team at all this season.
Johnson, 33, has a .275 BA with 9 HR and 34 RBI this season. He could play just about anywhere in the field. He’s played most of his games at third, but he could also play first and has experience playing left field.
The Mets lineup will likely feature Uribe and Johnson every day. Johnson will likely become one of the starters in the outfield while playing a few other positions here and there since Michael Cuddyer was placed on the 15-day DL with a knee injury.
