NY Mets injuries will dictate how the trade deadline goes

The New York Mets are sitting comfortably in first place despite a whole lot of injuries this season.

The Mets are in a very good standing one-third of the way through the 2021 season, and their record is even more impressive considering that many players struggled to start the season, as well as the high number of injuries the team has dealt with to begin the year.

Like in most seasons, contending teams will look to upgrade certain positions via trade before the July 31st deadline, and if the Mets continue their current trajectory, they are set to be buyers this year.

That being said, it is currently unknown what types of players the Mets will be pursuing, as there are many areas the team could currently improve upon, but one thing is for certain:

Injuries will dictate how the New York Mets act at the trade deadline.

Coming into the season, the Mets looked to have one of the best lineups from top to bottom in recent memory, as well as a very formidable starting rotation. However, they have suffered a lot of injuries in key positions, leading to many bench and minor league players being thrust into the starting lineup.

At the time of writing, the team is still without key hitters like Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo, and JD Davis, while pitchers Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco began the season rehabbing injuries and have yet to play in the big league this year.

Additionally, other important players like Jacob deGrom, Pete Alonso, Taijuan Walker, Seth, and Kevin Pillar have spent time on the injured list this year, leading to a very unstable lineup.

All and all, the Mets have used 45 different players just 2 and a half months into the 2021 season, but still, they remain in 1st place in their division, and should theoretically improve when more of their injured stars return.

However, with such an alarming number of outstanding injuries, many of whom have no clear timeline for a return and no guarantee they perform at the same level when they return, the current injured list should dictate how the Mets act at the deadline.

For example, while starting pitching was expected to be one of the Mets’ strong suits coming into the 2021 season, depending on how both Syndergaard and Carrasco have progressed at the deadline my prompt the Mets to consider a trade for a starter.

Veteran players like Wade Miley and Andrew Heaney could be trade candidates if the Mets do in fact need a starter, but like I said previously, it is heavily dependent on the team’s injury situation.

On the flip side, New York could also look to trade for a bat at the deadline, depending on which positions’ have been hit hard by injuries.

A player like Miami’s Starling Marte could help the Mets’ outfield out if they are still without Nimmo and or Conforto, while someone like the Angels’ Jose Iglesias or Baltimore’s Freddy Galvis could be brought in to round out the infield.

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For now, this is all just speculation, but the trade deadline is less than 2 months away, and if these injured players don’t show any signs of returning soon, the Mets will have some big decisions to make if they hope to contend in October.