Other Clubs Jorge Mateo might start for

[Just Regular]

Great season as he capitalized on the 2022 Orioles opportunity to establish himself as a big leaguer, and contributed big to a magic carpet ride of a season.

Uncaring Steamer doesn't yet see him as one of MLB's 30 best shortstops for 2023, but there are a few Clubs that might care where it is close.     Steamer guesses here adjusted to per 600 PA - Mateo gets a 1.7 (Depth Charts now giving him 0.7 in 245 PA - regular plug WAR is a counting stat just like RBI's, so rates matter).

https://www.fangraphs.com/depthcharts.aspx?position=SS

Minnesota?     Buck Farmer scales to 2.2 WAR/600, but I believe he's an everyday shortstop only a team like the '22 Reds would play.    X factor is Royce Lewis rehab.

Miami?    Miguel Rojas gets a 2.3, but he is ancient as shortstops go - Mateo would just be a younger player with similar overall production shape

LA Angels?     The well-trodden Orioles to Angels SS path hasn't been walked lately, but Ohtani's team still has no answer, a big payroll, and one year of Club control left.   They have a 50/50 playing time forecast currently between David Fletcher and Gio Urshela, both of whem seem like everyday SS overtaxes what they have been able to handle in their okay careers so far.    Per 600, Fletcher is 1.7 and Urshela is 2.1

Arizona?     Nick Ahmed 1.1 about same as Miguel Rojas, except he also could only muster 50 PA last year due to being old and injured in a young man's line of work.   Rushed youngster Geraldo Perdomo had an Odor-ian 500 PA of a 58 OPS+

Boston a wildcard if all the whispers last year about Trevor Story's Arm being kaput for SS purposes reveal themselves, but opening year I'm sure he'll get a shot.

In Dodger-land, Gavin Lux like every Dodger is projected to be an All-Star, but is he truly a shortstop?    Elias is at the bottom of the mountain playing low-stakes poker, it might be an adrenaline rush if the guy on the other end of the conversation asking for Jorge Mateo was Andrew Friedman.

 

[tabletop]

I think he will need to put up another gold glove caliber season at SS before he is considered a true starting SS on a playoff contending team. His career OPS is .645 and while fast he doesn’t get on base much. He’s only 27 so he should still have some years left where he’s just as fast as he is now.

I think they’re better off keeping him and keep trying to improve his plate discipline. When he was on that heater last year the team was winning. Then when he came back to earth so did the team.

[pastorfan]

I think the changes with the shift and bases makes him more valuable. 

[Aristotelian]

All good thoughts. Hopefully Elias is taking their calls. I still like Mateo as a super sub if we can find a market for Urias.

[HakunaSakata]

The Diamondbacks have some very interesting high level pitching prospects (I like Pfaadt the most), but they're all worth considerable more than Mateo. For context, the only pitcher even remotely close to Mateo in value is probably Bumgarner and I don't want any part of him. 

[Aristotelian]

Justin Turner to the Sox. Dodgers can definitely use some infield help. Maybe Urias too? 

[btdart20]

8 hours ago, tabletop said:

I think he will need to put up another gold glove caliber season at SS before he is considered a true starting SS on a playoff contending team. His career OPS is .645 and while fast he doesn’t get on base much. He’s only 27 so he should still have some years left where he’s just as fast as he is now.

I think they’re better off keeping him and keep trying to improve his plate discipline. When he was on that heater last year the team was winning. Then when he came back to earth so did the team.

The team’s record during Mateo’s heater underscores how  much value one more solid bat in the lineup means.  

[OriolesMagic83]

I think Mateo has more value as a utility player.  Just Regular's run down of possible trade partners and their SS situations makes me think that playoff contenders would only see him as a stopgap solution until something better comes along.

A good question is if Mateo was on another team, would you want the O's to trade Ortiz for him?  I think there's a good chance that Ortiz is a more valuable SS than Mateo.  Better bat (obviously chance of failure) balances out Mateo's better defense.