How Mets Could Take Advantage of Cubs Seller Status – Part 1

The Mets sit at the All-Star break as proud owners of a 47-40 record, and, perhaps more importantly, of a 3.5-game lead in the National League East division.

While that lead may look solid to most, it is due as much to the failures of Mets NL East rivals as to the Mets own play this season. The Phillies, Braves and Nationals all remain within striking distance of New York, and the superstar-caliber talent on each team helps all pose a credible threat to go on a hot streak in the second half of the season.

The Mets need to address their areas of weakness before it is too late. They cannot rest on their laurels and wait for other dangerous teams to ‘come and get them.’

In short, the Mets need to do everything they can to avoid sharing the 2021 Cubs’ fate.

Heading into Friday’s series against St. Louis, the Cubs had lost 12 of their last 13 games, including two crushing, back-to-back sweeps at the hands of NL Central rivals Cincinnati and Milwaukee. It seems like only days ago that the Cubs were in first place, on a mission to prove they had one last deep playoff run in them with this current core. Now at the break, they are eight games back in the division, and club president Jed Hoyer is reading the writing on the wall.

“Eleven days ago, we were fully on the buy side of (the trade deadline), everyone was calling about that. Obviously, people are now calling to see which players are available, so it’s a very different scenario than we expected,” said Hoyer Thursday, according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic.

So, how do the Mets avoid replicating the Cubs’ collapse? The answer is simple: scour for parts at the trade deadline.

The Amazin’s have one, huge, area of need: a starting pitcher. With team general manager Zack Scott treating the return of Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco as ‘more of a bonus than a given,’ Joey Lucchessi out for the year after Tommy John surgery and David Peterson on the 10-day IL, the Mets have had to turn to depth pieces to find relief for a beleaguered bullpen.

Furthermore, there is an obvious area of ‘want’ in New York: an impact bat. The Mets have been tied to Minnesota third baseman Josh Donaldson and Pittsburgh second baseman Adam Frazier in trade talks recently, with the evident hope being that some fresh blood could spark an offense that has not lived up to its potential so far in 2021.

Now, plenty of articles have already been written about how the Mets could go about finding either of these pieces on the trade market before the July 30 trade deadline. Most revolve around trying to find something of worth from bottom-feeders like Baltimore, Arizona and Pittsburgh. However, the Cubs’ losing streak and willingness to become sellers could make them an even more attractive trade destination than any of those teams.

Let’s take a look at some of the Cubs best players this season, sorted by Baseball Reference WAR, and see who, if any, makes sense for the Mets.

Javier Baez, 2B, SS, 3B
Age: 28
2021 WAR: 2.6
Contract Status: Free Agent after 2021 season

Most MLB fans know Javy Baez, the slick, flashy infielder that came up with the Cubs just in time for their rise to prominence in 2015.

Baez, along with Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, has been an anchor for the Cubs’ lineup since, with a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger to his name.

Unfortunately for the Mets, Baez is best suited as a middle infielder right now, and would come at a high prospect price. Therefore, the Mets likely would not deal for him.

Fit: D+

Willson Contreras, C
Age: 29
2021 WAR: 2.4
Contract Status: Free Agent after 2021 season

Like Baez, Contreras has been a foundational piece for the Cubs throughout this successful period in their history. However, also like Baez, he plays a position that the Mets have little need for, barring injuries.

Fit: F

Kris Bryant, 3B, OF
Age: 29
2021 WAR: 1.9
Contract Status: Free Agent after 2021 season

A theme with many of these top Cubs players is their free agent status after this season. About half of the active roster shares this trait, which allowed the Cubs the option to either make this year their last championship push or blow it all up.

Fortunately for the Mets, it is looking like Bryant will be part of the blowing up process.

The 2016 MVP is a dream trade candidate for many Mets fans, and for good reason. He has shown signs of a career renaissance this year after a down 2020 and is once again a feared middle of the order bat. He plays the field position the Mets most need, third base, but is also versatile in his ability to move to the corner outfield spots seamlessly, and even fake it in center occasionally.

Bryant would take a lot, but if the Mets really wanted to make a deal happen, they could offer their resurgent prospect Mark Vientos or the more established J.D. Davis, who could each fill in for Chicago at third base going forward.

Many fans understandably feel hesitant about giving up even more of the farm, but the Mets front office would need to if it felt Bryant was the missing piece in a World Series contender.

Fit: A

Craig Kimbrel
Age: 32
2021 WAR: 1.9
Contract Status: $16 million team option for 2022- $1 million buyout

Speaking of resurgent seasons, not many picked Craig Kimbrel to be having the type of season he is having right now. After disappointing in his first two seasons in Chicago to the tunes of 6.53 and 5.29 ERA performances, Kimbrel has had possibly the best start to a season he’s ever had in an arguably Hall of Fame worthy career.

His otherworldly 0.57 ERA and 698 ERA+ marks would be easily his best in a full season in his career, given that he only appeared in 21 games and had not yet even earned rookie status in 2010.

However, the Mets’ bullpen is no area of dire need yet. Closer Edwin Diaz has looked shaky at times, particularly in non-save situations, but has looked unhittable at most other times.

Other relievers in the ‘pen are holding up their ends, as well, due in no small part to the black magic Jeremy Hefner seems to have worked. In short, Kimbrel would be an incredible addition that could make the end of Mets games even safer, but he is by no means a necessity, especially if the prospect price is too high.

Fit: B

Thank you for reading my first article with Metsmerized. I hope to make this specific article a two-part series, so I can cover a few other players, additionally. Let’s Go Mets!