Mets Notes: Cabrera, M’s, Reed, Brewers, Szapucki

With several veterans for sale, the Mets will be one of the most closely-watched teams in baseball as we approach the trade deadline.  Scouts from the Mariners, Indians, Cubs and Royals were on hand to see the Mets play on Thursday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports, and surely those teams and more will be checking in with GM Sandy Alderson in the days leading up to July 31.  The latest from Citi Field…

• Reports seem to be mixed on Asdrubal Cabrera’s trade value.  Puma reports that the veteran infielder has “several suitors” on the trade market, while Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News hears from an industry source that the Mets have received a “pretty light” amount of interest in Cabrera.  That same source notes that the Red Sox, a team previously linked to Cabrera, had “yet to show any real interest.”  It may be that Cabrera will need to show that he can handle playing third base before his market really takes off, or any clubs currently interested may have an eye on Cabrera at his usual shortstop position (or at second base).
• As cited in Puma’s report, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Mariners are one of the teams interested in Cabrera.  Since Seattle has Robinson Cano, Jean Segura and Kyle Seager entrenched in everyday roles, it would seem that the M’s would be looking at Cabrera as a multi-position bench option.  Taylor Motter has filled that role for the Mariners this season, though Motter hasn’t delivered much at the plate and he lacks Cabrera’s track record of performance.
• The Brewers are one of a half-dozen teams who have asked the Mets about closer Addison Reed, Newsday’s Marc Carig reports.  Reed is getting the most attention of any Mets player likely to be dealt prior to the deadline, with other reports linking the right-hander to the Red Sox and Yankees.  While Reed would be a setup man for those teams with established closers, there’s at least a chance Reed could share the ninth-inning job with Corey Knebel, who has been dominant for much of the season but has blown two of his last five save chances.  Milwaukee has been on the search for starting and relief pitching, with Brad Hand, Pat Neshek and Justin Wilson among the names known to be considered by the Brew Crew as bullpen upgrades.
• Left-handed pitching prospect Thomas Szapucki underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo and others reported.  Szapucki, a fifth-round pick for the Mets in the 2015 draft, was rated by Baseball Prospectus as the 69th-best prospect in the sport in BP’s preseason rankings.  MLB.com and Baseball America weren’t quite as bullish, though they still rated the southpaw as the fourth- and eighth-best prospect, respectively, in New York’s farm system.  Given the surgery’s usual recovery timeline of 12-15 months, however, Szapucki is now in danger of missing the entire 2018 season.