NY Mets: No matter what, expect them to buy at the 2020 trade deadline

Regardless of where the New York Mets are in the standings at the 2020 trade deadline, we can expect them to buy with the 2021 season in mind.

Brodie Van Wagenen is a competitor. Everything he has done as New York Mets general manager suggests this. Whether you like him or not, winning is at the top of his mind.

Although his decisions sometimes don’t have much respect for the future, it’s hard to think he’s phoning it in as the GM. He’s a win-now kind of guy that has me convinced of one certainty during the 2020 season: the Mets will buy at the trade deadline.

Usually, we see teams head into the trade deadline with around 60 games left to go. This year, it’ll be far less. Percentage-wise, however, there’s going to be a lot more time for teams behind in the playoff race to think about adding at the trade deadline rather than subtracting.

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The August 31, 2020 trade deadline will be like no other. At what will be near the midway point of the abbreviated season, few teams will be officially out of the race. Any team that built themselves up this offseason to win in 2020 will be a little more hesitant to turn the boat around and give up.

The Mets are as “in it to win it” as anyone else in the league. This has been the case throughout BVW’s tenure. And even if it looks like they aren’t going anywhere in 2020, I suspect we will see the Mets attempt to at least look toward building the 2021 roster.

For instance, we could very well see the Mets trade a player on an expiring contract if it means acquiring a weapon for 2021. It wouldn’t be quite the same as acquiring Marcus Stroman last July.

Instead, we would see the Amazins move him (or anyone else on an expiring contract) in a trade to help them as soon as next year at another position.

More likely, I think we see the orange and blue go after a playoff spot as hard as possible. Anything is possible in 2020. One hot streak from the Miami Marlins could help them capture the National League East—as unlikely as that would be.

The trade deadline is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the rumors. The speculation gets me giddy and often takes up too much of my time. Perhaps the only other time I like more is December when all teams are signing free agents or making trades. Plus, there’s Christmas and it’s not brutally hot outside.

This August 31 trade deadline will allow Van Wagenen and Company to get creative. We’ve seen them tackle the draft in a unique way. Why wouldn’t they do so at the trade deadline in 2020?

Van Wagenen became a general manager in an unconventional way. During his time in the seat, he has continued to take risks—a few too many turning out poorly.

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However 2020 goes for the Mets, the one thing I feel confident about is that there won’t be any white flag waving. Even if they do become trade deadline sellers it will only be for the sake of a brief retreat in preparation for 2021.