NY Mets should consider adding Jose Berrios at the trade deadline

It’s no secret around baseball how phenomenal the New York Mets pitching staff has performed over the first two months of the regular season. It’s primarily the reason why the Mets are currently sitting pretty in first place in the NL East as we approach the middle of June and it’s also why they have had one of their best starts in close to five years.

While the current trio of Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, and Taijuan Walker have given the Mets nothing but quality starts on the mound to this point, there is some concern with the inconsistencies of both David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi through their respective turns in the rotation. Now if you couple that with the uncertain returns of Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco the Mets may be in the market for starting pitching at this year’s trade deadline.

One hot name that has been thrown around in potential trade deals later this summer has been Minnesota Twins starter, Jose Berrios. The 27-year old right-hander has been a staple at the front of the Twins starting rotation since putting it all together in 2017 and also was selected to the All-Star Game the two following seasons (2018, 2019).

With the Mets in prime position for a chance at the postseason, they should consider adding another potential ace to the back of their struggling rotation.

MLB Insider Jon Morosi has already listed the Toronto Blue Jays as a team to watch in regards to Berrios’ market, but with the Mets’ current struggles in the back of the rotation, it would make sense for the Mets to be players if Berrios was made available this July. The Twins have been one of the most disappointing teams in baseball this season, and if they choose to sell off some pieces at the Trade Deadline, Berrios would be one of their most valuable assets.

Berrios is under team control for one more season through the 2022 campaign and he wouldn’t be eligible for free agency until 2023. The Mets most certainly would have to part with at least one of their top ten prospects in their system to land Berrios, who is entering the prime of his career, and I would envision it would take a trade that was similar to the deal that landed the Mets Marcus Stroman during the 2019 Trade Deadline (Anthony Kay & Simeon Woods-Richardson).

The Mets currently have the second-best pitching staff in baseball in terms of ERA behind only the San Diego Padres, and adding Berrios would further provide the ballclub with another lethal arm in a season where they have a legitimate shot at playing baseball in October. In 12 starts this season, Berrios has posted a 3.58 ERA with a 73/19 strikeout to walk ratio and a great 1.109 WHIP over 70 innings.

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You could almost certainly expect shortstop Francisco Lindor to advocate for Berrios’ addition, as both players are friends off the field as well as highly regarded stars from the island of Puerto Rico. If the Mets pitching woes at the back of the rotation continue through June the Mets may be better served to investigate what it might take to pry Berrios away from Minnesota.