Top ranked Mets prospects who could get traded next

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ALLENTOWN, PA – MAY 02: The Rawlings glove, New Era cap and Keanon sunglasses of Tim Tebow #15 of the Syracuse Mets sit on the dugout step during a AAA minor league baseball game against the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs on May 1, 2019 at Coca Cola Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

If the New York Mets are looking at add to the major league roster this August or in the offseason, these three prospects are most likely to get traded.

The New York Mets don’t have the best farm system to help them add veteran talent to the roster. At this year’s trade deadline and even beyond, if they are buying, Brodie Van Wagenen will need to further decimate an already depleted crop of young talent to make it happen.

It’s beginning to look less like this August will be one where the Mets buy for the current season. This doesn’t mean Van Wagenen will be a seller. Based on what he did at the 2019 trade deadline, the Mets could try to buy for 2021.

Whenever a young player is traded, there’s usually some outcry from fans. We imagine every prospect will become a superstar while many of the veterans acquired are already past their prime or just in town as a rental.

However you feel about this, we will eventually see some Mets prospects traded again. If it happens, these are three of the Mets I could see on the move.

Mets Prospect Mark Vientos – Ranked 8

According to MLB.com, Mark Vientos is the number eight prospect on the farm. The 20-year-old third baseman was a second-round pick back in 2017.

The big question I have about him is how he can fit into the Mets’ future.

Vientos has hit well in his professional career. In parts of three minor league seasons, he’s slashing .265/.329/.429. Vientos popped 12 home runs and 27 doubles in 2019 as a member of the Columbia Fireflies in Single-A. This showed that even at a more advanced level, he can still handle the pitching.

An obvious flaw in Vientos’ game has been defense. He had a .902 fielding percentage in 2018 and a .905 fielding percentage in 2019. I understand fielding percentage is a bit outdated at this point. However, when it is this close to the .800s, it’s a rough number to see.

Vientos probably has a future at another position. I’m just not sure where that would be. His bat is certainly good enough to help him climb up the system or land with another ball club.

Because the Mets already have some major league options at third base and 2019 first-round pick Brett Baty playing at the hot corner, I can see the team using Vientos in a trade rather than attempt to develop him further.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL – MARCH 11: The New Era cap, Nike sunglasses and Wilson glove of Michael Conforto #30 of the New York Mets during a spring training baseball game against the Houston Astros at Fitteam Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on March 11, 2019 in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Astros defeated the Mets 6-3. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Mets Prospect Thomas Szapucki – Ranked 9

Ranked ninth in the team’s system according to MLB.com, Thomas Szapucki is a left-handed pitcher the Mets could really benefit from having on the big league roster. Born in Toms River, it only seems natural he’d one day follow in Todd Frazier’s footsteps.

Szapucki was a fifth-round pick back in 2015. His minor league career has been solid, resulting in a 2.42 ERA across 145 innings pitched.

You can already see the problem here. That’s not many innings.

Szapucki missed all of 2018 due to injury but managed to return last year and pitch a career-best 61.2 innings. He did make one start for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies after a successful trip through two levels of Single-A.

In a normal 2020, Szapucki would be one of those pitchers we might expect to see make his MLB debut for the Mets. I don’t think that will be the case. Instead, he’s someone we might see added into a trade deadline deal.

The Mets already traded Jordan Humphreys; a pitcher in a similar situation coming off of an injury. It only seems natural that Szapucki could also be used in a trade to help the team this year.

Many of the Mets’ best prospects are pitchers. As one of the top ones in the farm system not drafted by Van Wagenen, I see him as yet another trade piece the GM could deal away.

The biggest trouble in selling him to other teams would be the injury history. With such a limited sample, he’s unlikely to headline any trade.

LAKELAND, FL – FEBRUARY 25: Kevin Smith #84 of the New York Mets throws a warm-up pitch during the Spring Training game against the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium on February 25, 2020 in Lakeland, Florida. The Tigers defeated the Mets 9-6. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Mets Prospect Kevin Smith – Ranked 12 by MLB.com

No, not that Kevin Smith. The other one. The one who is a minor league pitcher for the Mets. Not the Clerks guy.

My excitement to see Smith pitch in the big leagues for the Mets goes beyond the chance to call him “Silent Bob.” I also like that they could have three unrelated Smiths on the team (Dominic Smith and Drew Smith being the others).

But beyond those silly reasons, Smith has the potential to be a good pitcher. He’s ranked 12th in the system per MLB.com and one of those guys I thought would find his way into the bullpen at some point in 2020. That thought, however, came when I believed we would get 162 games.

Smith is a seventh-round pick from 2018 and a left-handed hurler. He did really well in his rookie season with the Brooklyn Cyclones, delivering a 0.76 ERA in his first 23.2 innings of work shortly after getting drafted.

Last year was the bigger tested. Combined at St. Lucie and Binghamton, Smith was 8-7 with a 3.15 ERA across 23 starts. Now 23, he’s right on the pace he should be.

The issue with seeing Smith on this team in the future is similar to what I expect from Szapucki. Neither was drafted by Van Wagenen and I suspect that will play a role in who he does or doesn’t trade. BVW has shown a tendency to favor “his guys.”

Without a 2020 minor league season to showcase his skills further, Smith’s value might be less than the Mets would like. Anyone can have some minor league success during a short period of time. If anything, we see Smith dealt for a more minor piece to the roster or packaged together with some other players.

Next. 3 Mets fighting for more playing time in 2021

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Home / New York Mets prospects

If the New York Mets are looking at add to the major league roster this August or in the offseason, these three prospects are most likely to get traded.

Mets Prospect Mark Vientos – Ranked 8

Mets Prospect Thomas Szapucki – Ranked 9

Mets Prospect Kevin Smith – Ranked 12 by MLB.com

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