Lucas Duda was the first infielder dealt by the Mets, and with the non-waiver trade deadline a little over 48 hours away, more moves are inevitably on the horizon.
Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker are two players whose names have been floated around in trade rumors.
Top prospects Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith are likely to be called up shortly after the deadline to prepare them for next season where they will hold everyday roles in the big leagues.
However, with the aforementioned veterans on the move, what is the plan for the infield next year?
Rosario and Smith will be at first base and shortstop and first base respectively, but the rest of the infield is a big question mark.
It would be foolish to think David Wright could grind out a whole season at third base, much less one more game.
T.J. Rivera, who will likely miss the remainder of the 2017 season with a partially torn UCL will be back next year, but while his bat is his strong suit, playing third is not.
Wilmer Flores will be incumbent, but like Rivera, his defense at third is suspect.
You could always platoon Rivera and Flores at second, but if you choose to go with someone like Gavin Cecchini, you have three very inexperienced infielders.
The Mets should really consider bringing back Jose Reyes on a one-year pact in a reserve capacity, especially since him and Rosario are close and reportedly talk on the phone everyday.
So, let’s say the Mets choose to go with Smith at first, Rosario at short and one of Rivera or Flores at second with Cecchini in the wings and Reyes on the bench, your infield is starting to take form.
Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
However, that still leaves a vacancy at third base.
This means the Mets have to dip into the free agent market and the first person they should call is Mike Moustakas.
Moustakas, 28, is a two-time All-Star and recently competed in the Home Run Derby in Miami.
The seven-year vet is hitting .279/.308/.568 with a .359 wOBA, 123 wRC+, .290 iSO, 30 homers and 69 RBI in 92 games for the Royals this season.
Moustakas fills a void at third that has been hard to fill the last couple seasons.
In addition to inking Moustakas, the Mets could also choose to keep one of Cabrera or Walker to help mentor the younger guys and take some stress off them as they gear up for their first full season in the majors.
Regardless, the infield is an area of need at a couple positions and general manager Sandy Alderson needs to address it this offseason, because as we have seen this year, it hasn’t been one of the Mets strong points.
