Mets: Best trade partners to find pitching in exchange for a bat

Cleveland Indians

The Mets and Cleveland Indians have been longtime potential trade partners. The former have been in need of some starting pitching help for a few years now. The latter could use a huge boost to their outfield production.

Even with the Indians trading Trevor Bauer and Mike Clevinger in back-to-back playoff pursuits, they still have pitching to spare. It may not be at the same level. However, there is one man on the Indians’ staff I think the Mets could snag.

As I profiled previously, Carlos Carrasco is a veteran hurler in Cleveland the team may look to move this winter to shed some salary. He has been one of the league’s most consistent starters for years now. Seemingly fully healthy again, he’s not too old to be cooked and could give the Mets some fantastic numbers from the back of their rotation.

Carrasco alone cannot improve the Mets’ starting rotation. Paired with one of the top free agent starters, I’m beginning to like what I see.

Two logical trade candidates the Indians might desire are J.D. Davis and Brandon Nimmo. Each can play the outfield with Davis having a little more flexibility in his glove. Straight up for Carrasco, it doesn’t really work. The Mets would need to get a little more back consider the money exchanging hands as well.

Cleveland allowed the fewest runs per game in 2020 at just 3.48. Their bats, however, failed to keep pace. They were tied with the fifth-fewest runs per game at 4.13.

I’m old yet even older are the people that remember when the Indians last won a championship. The year was 1948 and my parents weren’t even alive. This might not be the year the club gets desperate. But it definitely may be one where they are willing to make any trade possible to lower the team payroll.