Major League Mongering: Get Grudz to New York

Major League Mongering will look at players rumored to be on the move between now and the July 31st pseudo-trade-deadline.

Now that the Mets have lost Jose Valentin for at least six weeks thanks to a broken right tibia, they find themselves a little short at second base. Willie Randolph seems to think that Ruben Gotay, Anderson Hernandez, and Damion Easley can fill in, but there's a better option in Kansas City.

Omar Minaya is aware of it too.

Royals veteran Mark Grudzielanek is believed to be on a short list of second basemen eyed by the New York Mets as a possible replacement for injured Jose Valentin.

The Mets showed interest in Grudzielanek as a free agent after the 2005 season before opting to sign Valentin. Grudzielanek signed four days later with the Royals.

Grudzielanek would be an upgrade over any of the Mets options right now. He's the reigning AL Gold Glove winner at second base, so he'll fit in seamlessly with Jose Reyes, and he's a .300 hitter.

If the Mets were to get Grudzielanek, they could place him in the second spot of the lineup where he's just about a perfect fit. He very rarely strikes out, and he'll be able to make sure Jose Reyes gets to second or third without having to steal a base if need be. He'll also get on base a lot himself making sure there are runners on when Carlos Beltran, David Wright, and Carlos Delgado come up to the plate.

It's not going to completely solve the Mets problem in their starting rotation, but Grudz's addition would make an already potent offense even more dangerous, and take more pressure off of the Mets pitching staff.