Blockbuster Mets trades that upgrade the team at third base

The New York Mets are only about a week from Spring Training, but they still have work to do in shaping their final roster.

As of now, it appears as though the Mets will manage third base by committee, as opposed to one regular getting the majority of the starts. Between J.D. Davis, Luis Guillorme, and recently signed Jonathan Villar, the Mets have several serviceable options, but not anyone that would move the needle for them much.

With the Mets looking to open the Steve Cohen era with a bang, there is a sense of urgency to immediately put a winning product on the field. Third base continues to remain a question mark for the Mets. Will they get the 2019 Davis or the 2020 version of him? Will Villar rejuvenate his career and have a bounceback year? Will Guillorme prove that last year was not a fluke year?

With all of the questions that the Mets have surrounding their third base options, it makes sense that the team is at least exploring the possibility of acquiring a big name third baseman. There are a few names that are currently being discussed on social media and in baseball circles, and some of them are worth mentioning here.

The first player that the Mets could and should consider is someone who they already have been linked to. I am talking, of course, about Kris Bryant.

Kris Bryant is a player who the Cubs may look to trade, and the Mets would be a good fit for the third baseman.

Rumors about a potential Mets-Cubs trade involving Bryant have been brewing for some time, and there’s a reason for that. The Cubs window of championship-contending is almost completely closed, and many of their star players are entering their walk years. Bryant, who is set to earn $19.5 million in 2021 before hitting free agency, is a prime candidate to get traded, which would enable the Cubs to get something for him before losing him for nothing.

Bryant is an above-average third baseman who, like many players, had a down year in 2020. He hit a measly .206/.293/.351 over 34 games, missing a significant chunk of the season because of an oblique injury.

It would be unfair to read too much into his 2020 performance. Bryant is only 29 years old, and 34 games is way too small a sample size to be overly concerned with his offensive value. However, Bryant’s long history of dealing with injuries should be on the Mets mind and of greater concern to them. It’s not like the Mets are a team that doesn’t get injured; their players tend to get injured more often than not.

So the Mets will have to consider whether Bryant’s potential impact is worth the risk of parting with Davis and a top prospect or two. He had a great 2019 season, hitting .282/.382/.521 with 31 home runs in 147 games. If the Mets decide to trade for him, those are the numbers they need to hope for, because a real possibility exists that he would be a one-year rental.