Mets rumors: Lucas Duda, Ike Davis

The New York Mets are not inclined to trade outfielder/first baseman Lucas Duda, as they view him as a part of their "long-term solution," reports Mike Puma of The New York Post:

"We are going to count a lot on Lucas Duda," manager Terry Collins said, referring to next season. "We know what he can do, we’ve seen it, he’s working on a couple of things offensively that we think are going to help. Just like Ike, those two guys in the middle of the lineup, it’s tough to find big-time power. We’ve just got to get it out of them."

The Post came out with a report in Sept. that the Mets would consider trading Duda and first baseman Ike Davis this winter to help address other areas of need. While there’s a chance Davis will be dealt, New York would prefer to keep Duda in the fold. Puma notes that if Davis remains with the team, Duda would have to return to the outfield.

The Mets are focused on getting a more consistent Duda, according to Puma. After batting .258/.348/.417 through the month of June, the 26-year-old slumped in a big way in July, resulting in his demotion to Triple-A.

Duda has since rejoined the Mets and performed better at the plate to end the season. On the year he’s hit at a clip of .239/.329/.392 with 15 doubles and 15 home runs.