Mets acquire Juan Uribe, Kelly Johnson from Braves

It's not a middle of the order bat, but it's a start. 

The Mets acquired infielder Juan Uribe and utility player Kelly Johnson from the Braves Friday evening, in a swap that was first reported by Jim Bowden of ESPN. In return, they dealt two young pitchers, Rob Whalen and John Gant. 

New York has been looking to boost their offense after the team has come out of the gate second-worst in the league in runs per game. They promoted Michael Conforto to the Major Leagues earlier today. Then, they made this move. 

That might not be all they do, as the Mets still are rumored to perhaps make another swap before the 4 PM eastern non-waiver trade deadline on July 31. The team is still looking for outfield help and has been connected to Ben Zobrist this month. 

Uribe probably won't be the gigantic spark the Mets are looking for, but he'll definitely be a worthy addition, especially with David Wright is out indefinitely with back problems that have sidelined him since April. 

The 36-year-old and impending free agent Uribe will be joining his third organization of the season, as he was previously with the Dodgers before heading east to Atlanta. He's hitting .272/.331/.409 with eight homers and 23 RBIs in 254 plate appearances. For the price they paid, Uribe appears to be a solid addition. 

Coming along with Uribe is Johnson. The 33-year-old Johnson (also an impending free agent) has hit .275/.321/.451 with nine homers and 34 RBI in 197 plate appearances. He can play both the infield and outfield and also could see a lot of playing time for a team in desperate need of offense. 

It isn't flashy, but the Mets are trying to fix their offense. 

--Devan Fink

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