Mets: Four bats the Mets might trade for a starting pitcher this offseason

Mets trade candidate Brandon Nimmo

We’ve probably heard all of the negative things about Brandon Nimmo before. Some people still don’t believe he’s an everyday player. Despite some pedestrian batting average numbers, he still finds ways to reach base. Mostly, it’s via the walk.

Nimmo has some obvious shortcomings which have made him a Mets trade candidate for more than a year. After his terrific 2018 season, some wanted the club to sell him high and cash in. Others preferred to watch the happiest man in baseball develop further.

The 2019 campaign was a bit of a wash because of injuries. In 2020, we have seen Nimmo is one of the best OBP guys in baseball. This is harder to find than some people make it out to be.

At the beginning of this season, it didn’t seem like the club was willing to commit to any one player in the leadoff role. Nimmo seems to have won the job thanks in large part to how much he visits first base.

It’s an intangible not every player brings to the diamond. Making pitchers work deeper into the counts and putting pressure on the opponent in doing so make Nimmo incredibly valuable to the Mets.

So, why the heck would they trade him?

Nimmo is more of a corner outfielder than an actual center fielder. The Mets have other options in the corners and no “true center fielder” with the same offensive skills as Nimmo or anyone else on the club.

The trouble with trading Nimmo is that he might be the best center field option they have when you combine bat and glove. Even as a liability on defense, he can do enough in other ways to show his value.

No matter how sweet we get on Nimmo, there’s always a chance he ends up in a new city this winter.

Mets trade candidate Amed Rosario

A late entry into this topic is the Mets shortstop of the present and future, Amed Rosario. Or so we thought.

Rosario has not been very good in 2020. I think he gets a pass for it. I’m not going to judge what anyone does in such a weird season.

But there is a possible serious competition brewing at the position we thought was his for good. Andres Gimenez is playing some exciting baseball and making a case that he should get some playing time over Rosario. Even Luis Guillorme has out-hit Rosario in 2020, making for some tough decisions going forward.

Rosario’s heels were never fully dug in at the shortstop position. We knew about Gimenez for years and he’s not even the best prospect at the position. That title belongs to Ronny Mauricio, yet another talented young man in the Mets system hoping to field grounders between second and third for a decade at Citi Field.

We know from past trade rumors that Rosario is someone teams had an interest in. I recall previous rumblings about how his name came up in talks for J.T. Realmuto and Francisco Lindor. In this hypothetical scenario, I’m not looking to acquire a big-name bat. I just want a starting pitcher who can give me five or six good innings.

Rosario could help get that done. He’s still young and has shown promise. I do think, however, if he headlines a one-for-one trade the Mets would end up with a pitcher that looks more like a salary dump veteran than a core piece to their future.

If that’s all they can get, I might have to pass and figure something else out.

Mets trade candidate Dominic Smith

Finally, there’s one of the best trade pieces on the Mets right now, Mr. Dominic Smith. Smith has seen his name pop up in trade rumors for a while now. Before it was because he couldn’t play well and fans were willing to skip driving him to the airport and take him right to his new city. Now, trade talks about Smith are because of how great he is becoming.

It wasn’t easy for Smith to become a fan-favorite in Flushing. It took two grueling partial seasons in 2017 and 2018 before he began to hit well in 2019. He looks even better in 2020 and other general managers have to notice the predicament the Mets are in.

To state the obvious, there’s no real place for Smith to play. First base is occupied by Pete Alonso and he’s not truly a left fielder. They can move things around if the DH remains available and even then it feels as if the Mets will have to put at least one starting position player on the bench on any given night.

It’s not a horrible problem to have but without a trustworthy starting rotation one through five, they need to consider moving a good bat to get the arm.

More than anyone else on the team, Smith looks like the trade candidate who could net the Mets a good starting pitcher. We’ll need to see how he performs for the rest of 2020, but teams in need of some offensive production and a surplus of pitching need to think about it.

The Mets shouldn’t trade Smith for just any arm. His value is at its high point right now. For all of those general managers that passed on him before, the price tag just went up.

Want your voice heard? Join the Rising Apple team!

Write for us!

Which Mets position player do you think is most likely to get traded this winter for an arm?