Mets: Three ways Brodie Van Wagenen can screw up the trade deadline

Aug 20, 2020

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 09: Brodie Van Wagenen, General Manager of the New York Mets speaks to writers while watching batting practice before an MLB baseball game against the Washington Nationals on August 9, 2019 at Citi Field in the Queens borough of New York City. Mets won 7-6. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images) /

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 12: Marcus Stroman #7 of the New York Mets in action against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field on September 12, 2019 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Diamondbacks 11-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Another Marcus Stroman-type trade

The moment Marcus Stroman joined the Mets in 2019 there was a debate about the merits of the deal. Did the Mets give up too much to get him?

Well, as it turns out, they did.

Stroman pitched two months for the Mets in 2019. It looked like they would get him for at least two more in 2020 until an injury and an opt-out changed everything. He’s now a pending free agent after this season ends and very likely to find a new home somewhere else.

The strategy in adding Stroman was creative. The Mets looked like sellers in 2019 but decided to buy for the 2020 season in advance. A lot can happen between the end of July and April of the following year. While it’s a risk taken in all trades, I’m not confident this is the right strategy to go with especially with all of the uncertainty in our world right now.

Anything the Mets might do at the 2020 trade deadline should be focused on this year. If they buy, it should be about this year’s postseason. If they sell, it should be about moving players on expiring contracts that they do not believe are coming back in 2021.

This means not overpaying for anything. Regardless of how they feel about the legitimacy of this year’s championship, this team cannot give up too much to try and win now. The rest of the roster doesn’t suggest to me that they have the gusto to pull it off.

And that seems to lead well into our final way how Van Wagenen can screw up the trade deadline. Say goodbye to the farm system!