Mets: Could a change of scenery for Kris Bryant bring him back to MVP levels?

If the New York Mets are looking to make a big splash this winter, a trade for Kris Bryant could be the way to soak up a pennant.

As the trade market heats up to 150 degrees, there appear to be many teams looking to make major overhauls to their 2020 rosters. The New York Mets could be one of them.

Due to that, there are many top quality players including Nolan Arenado, Francisco Lindor, Josh Hader, and Mookie Betts that can be had for the right price. Sometimes that price may be too high, as with the Cleveland Indians and what they want for Francisco Lindor, but for some teams, it is more about ridding themselves of long term, high priced contracts.

I believe that with the excellent starting pitching staff the Mets currently deploy, their window to win with them will only be open for two maybe three more years. The front office needs to take advantage of this extremely solid starting pitching, go into win-now mode, and look to acquire some game-changers to get us to that next level to compete for a championship. I rather take some risks now, then be stuck in mediocrity, winning 80 to 85 games, watching the window close without any playoff runs or appearances.

So, as I take a look at the current Chicago Cubs probable 2020 depth chart, there are some players that would be considered some risky acquisitions but could give the Mets the right mix of players to get us over the top.

Kris Bryant

Still needing a true third baseman, Kris Bryant would make perfect sense for the Mets in 2020 and beyond. The 2016 National League MVP and his career .284/.385/.516/.901 slash line would definitely enhance our lineup, making it much deeper, while also giving the protection that the Polar Bear needs to continue his excellence from 2019.

I do also like Bryant’s versatility, with his ability to not only play an average third base but has also logged innings at all three outfield positions, shortstop and first base. Playing for a Joe Maddon managed team will do that.

Yes, it is going to take a lot to land Bryant, but if there was any time to sell the farm, now is the time.

Willson Contreras

If we are going all in and selling the farm, we may as well take that thinking as far as it can go. Why not look to upgrade other parts of the lineup by picking up one of the best offensive catchers in all of baseball?

Yes, we do already have a decent offensive catcher in Wilson Ramos, but there is no comparison to the offensive output of Willson Contreras. His 2019 slash line of .272/.355/.533/.888 is 120 points better than Ramos’ 2019 output and he is much better at controlling the running game with his career 31% caught stealing.

I do also think with Contreras’s ability to also play both corner outfield spots, this gives the Mets an advantage for when they eventually sign a good defensive backup catcher, to keep his explosive bat in the lineup while giving one of the outfielders the day off.

Brad Wieck

At 6 foot, 9 inches tall he would definitely give the Mets another type of look and style coming out of the bullpen. Originally drafted by the Mets in 2016, he has struggled to put it all together in his brief MLB career. But, even though his career 4.97 ERA is not the greatest, his 1.056 WHIP shows that he can be a dominant pitcher and usually extremely tall pitchers usually need more seasoning to get their mechanics fixed and repeating the same motion on every pitch.

He is an intriguing player and does fill a need for the Mets, which need another lefty in their bullpen to go along with their current hard-throwing/slider throwing/right-handed dominating bullpen.

Now that we see which players we would want to acquire in a possible Cubs trade, who would the Mets be able to send to the Cubs to acquire some or all of these players?

Since the Cubs would be looking to replenish their farm system in any trade for Kris Bryant, we can start with some of our top prospects and go from there. With the Mets farm system being a bit overrated, I don’t really mind mortgaging some of the future for a chance to win in 2020 and over the next couple of years

I would make the following available for a trade with the Chicago Cubs: Andres Gimenez, David Peterson, Andres Regnault, and Mark Vientos

Looking at both teams and the direction of both teams, I think the most realistic trade might look something like this:

To Chicago: Andres Regnault, David Peterson, Mark Vientos, and Andres Gimenez

To New York: Kris Bryant and Brad Wieck

If we could also find a way to give the Cubs Ramos and get Contreras back that would be even better but I don’t think the Cubbies would want to do that.

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What do you think would be a realistic New York Mets/Chicago Cubs trade this off-season?