Three Mets trade targets flying under the radar this winter

1) Right-Handed Pitcher Nathan Eovaldi

The Boston Red Sox will be looking to acquire young talent and potentially clear more salary this offseason as they continue to reconstruct their Major League roster and the Mets should look into giving the front office in Boston a phone call on right-handed pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. The 30-year old Eovaldi could slide into the middle of the Mets starting rotation and would instantly help patch one of the three potential spots that are up for grabs.

With Red Sox Designated Hitter J.D. Martinez not expected to opt-out of his contract this offseason, the Red Sox may be inclined to move money again this winter and Eovaldi could be the likeliest member of the organization to be moved. Eovaldi is still under contract for two more seasons at $17 million per season, and the return that the Mets provide the Red Sox could solely depend on if the Red Sox would eat part of Eovaldi’s salary or if the move would be just a straight salary dump.

Eovaldi had a strong season for the Red Sox in 2020 pitching to a 3.72 ERA over nine starts while striking out 52 and only walking seven batters. In Eovaldi’s 48.1 innings pitched he also produced an above-average WHIP of 1.200.

Eovaldi who has been well known as one of the league’s flamethrowers for the better part of his career, as his average fastball velocity sits around 97 MPH, would fit that mold of a power arm that the Mets fans have become accustomed to seeing in the starting rotation. For an organization looking to contend in 2021 Eovaldi would be a piece that could help solidify the middle of the rotation for the next two seasons.

2) Left-Handed Pitcher Daniel Norris

The Detroit Tigers have a plethora of young pitching that has been moving quickly through their farm system and up to the big league level over the last two seasons. With the amount of young pitching that the Tigers are bringing up to the Major Leagues there are a few pitchers who have had their roles shift out of the starting rotation and one of those pitchers is left-hander Daniel Norris.

The 27-year old southpaw pitched 27.2 innings mainly out of the bullpen this past season and pitched to a 3.25 ERA with 28 strikeouts and seven walks to go along with a great 1.157 WHIP. This was after Norris had made 29 starts and three appearances out of the bullpen back in 2019 for the Tigers to the tune of 4.49 ERA and a somewhat league average 1.330 WHIP.

While Norris has only pitched more than 140 innings in a season once, Norris can provide the Mets with the upside of a number five starter until Noah Syndergaard is ready to return to the starting rotation at some point during the regular season, and then he can shift to the bullpen as a pitcher who can come in and give the Mets multiple innings.

Norris would be the perfect move in regards to deepening the organization’s pitching depth this offseason, but he also still contains upside as a pitcher who strikes out over 20% of the batters he faces in his career and whose average fastball velocity almost jumped up three whole miles per hour this season at 93 MPH.

It would seem that the Mets only have one left-hander penciled into their starting rotation next season with David Peterson, as the jury is still out on what the Mets plan to do with Steven Matz after his disastrous 2020 campaign. In the bullpen, the Mets will also have left-hander Justin Wilson heading for free agency and no decision has yet been made on a potential Chasen Shreve reunion, which makes a potential Norris trade a sensible move.

Norris will be arbitration-eligible one final time this offseason before becoming a free agent in 2022. While it’s unclear what the Mets would potentially have to give up, there were a few teams at the Trade Deadline who were interested in acquiring Norris which means his name is surely going to be brought up again at some point this winter.

3) Right-Handed Pitcher Richard Rodriguez

Richard Rodriguez may be one of the best-kept secrets in baseball due to the team he currently plays on in the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. But over the past three seasons with the Pirates, he has quietly carved out a role for himself as one of their best weapons out of their bullpen with his career 3.41 ERA.

In 24 appearances this past season the 30-year old right-hander pitched to a 2.70 ERA while striking out 34 batters in 23.1 innings and picked up four saves. Rodriguez also had an otherworldy 0.857 WHIP this past season and was one of the very few lone bright spots for the Pirates.

It’s always been said that having an elite closer on a bad team is widely considered a luxury. With the Pirates having one of the worst rosters in baseball it would behoove them to consider moving Rodriguez this offseason to upgrade their talent pool.

This is where the Mets can come in. The Mets as of today do not have a clear answer for a set-up man behind closer Edwin Diaz going into next season. There are a bit more questions than answers when it comes to who will take the ball in the 8th inning next season.

There has been no decision made on whether Seth Lugo will return to the bullpen after his stint in the starting rotation. Jeurys Familia is entering the final year of his deal and was largely inconsistent for the Mets in 2020. Dellin Betances has also not made a decision on if he is extending his player option and returning to the Mets in 2021, which I believe he wouldn’t be considered a favorite for 8th inning duties anyway due to his performance this past season. Lastly, I don’t believe Miguel Castro is the answer yet in the 8th inning.

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Rodriguez who is arbitration-eligible this season, won’t be eligible for free agency until 2024 and would provide the Mets a dynamic 1-2 punch in the back end of the bullpen for the next several seasons. While good relievers always cost a premium on the trade market, if the Mets choose to target Rodriguez to bolster their bullpen it would surely cost them a Top 10 prospect this offseason.