Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
The trade deadline is almost upon us. Can you believe it? I can’t. How is it already July?!
Anyway, as we inch closer to July 31, this is one of our main topics of conversation at MMO. So we’re asking ourselves which player the Mets should be targeting and what prospects are we ready to deal?
Frankly I’m not sure what prospects the Mets should look to part with in order to bolster the roster for the stretch run of the year, but I was happy to see that they do not intend on parting with the likes of Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, and Ronny Mauricio. I do know, however, that if the Amazins’ want to make a deep run into October they will need to bolster not only the back end of their rotation, but also acquire another impact position player.
A few players that come to mind that could make an immediate impact for the Mets are some obvious ones such as Jose Berrios, Kyle Gibson, and Daniel Boyd. One team in particular that could possibly even help the Mets in both of the areas I mentioned earlier is the Kansas City Royals. It would be interesting to see what kind of prospects package it would take for the Royals to give up their star in Whit Merrifield along with veteran starter Danny Duffy. This potential duo could help solve most of the Mets deadline issues, while still leaving them room to add more arms.
Another player who could make a great impact is current Marlins center fielder Starling Marte. Currently in his walk year, if the center fielder and Miami can’t come to an extension agreement soon, that would open the door for teams like the Mets to acquire the Marlins star on a discount. All in all, I believe the Mets will be active buyers at the trade deadline and it should make for a fun pennant push in Queens!
For me, the dream scenario remains acquiring Kris Bryant at the trade deadline, but Josh Donaldson appears to be another option which could be more reasonable that the Mets have showed interest in. Regardless of who the ultimate target is, I would be happy if the Mets could swing a deal for a better all-around third baseman, especially if the deal were centered around J.D. Davis and a few prospects.
Regardless of the trade target, I would not trade any of their top six prospects right now in Francisco Alvarez, Ronny Mauricio, Matt Allan, Brett Baty, Pete Crow-Armstrong, or J.T. Ginn. Mark Vientos is the one prospect the Mets have that probably has great value on the market that I would be willing to deal, but I would try everything to avoid that first before conceding and moving the player who is leading the Mets minors in home runs this season.
If I’m Scott and Alderson, I’m gauging interest from other teams on Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos. Both players have tapped into plus game power and could potentially bring back significant MLB talent. Meanwhile, I would be fine with parting with each due to lingering questions about pitch recognition and selection issues, which could be exploited at the highest levels. That being said, I’d only part with either or both players in exchange for a good pitcher under contractual control beyond 2021. My top names are Jose Berrios, Kyle Hendricks, and Kyle Gibson in that order.
