NY Mets: 3 starting pitcher trade candidates in the American League

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Is Alex Cobb a fit for the New York Mets?. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

With just about one hundred games left to go in the 2021 season, the New York Mets have displayed a remarkable resiliency to overcome debilitating injuries to all facets of their team as they continue to increase their first place lead in the National League east. Much of this can be attributed to the wonderful job Sandy Alderson and their front office has done in constructing a roster filled with quality Major League talent that has stepped up big time when they needed to in absence of many starters going down.

However an area many thought Alderson and company wouldn’t have to concentrate much on, due to the great amount of depth they acquired in the off season, was starting pitching. The Mets went into 2021 bringing back fan favorite Marcus Stroman on a one year deal and added veteran Carlos Carrasco to an already decent rotation that featured Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and David Peterson. On top of that, they went out and signed Taijuan Walker and brought in former Marlins starter Jordan Yamamoto to add depth to the talented rotation.

But here we are just ten weeks into the regular season and the Mets are only down to three of those starting pitchers with Jordan Yamamoto and Jacob deGrom still on the fence to return anytime soon nursing potential shoulder injuries. All this boils down to now is that the Mets are going to need starting rotation help and need it fast.

Mets need to bolster their starting rotation if they are to keep their first-place lead in the Nation League east.

In this article I will go over three starting pitchers the Mets front office should target from the American League in an attempt to add depth and bolster the rotation until some of their main stars return back from the IL.

NY Mets Trade Target: Alex Cobb

Despite having struggled in his last two starts, Los Angeles Angels starter Alex Cobb has shown the ability to put together a string of quality consecutive starts this season and is a potential candidate for the Mets to acquire without having to give up any big name young minor league prospects. The Angels are currently nine games out of first place in the American League West and don’t look like they will be challenging for the division title or a wild card spot anytime soon. The veteran right hander spent the majority of his major league career pitching as a starter with the Tampa Bay Rays under their former manager Joe Maddon. In his five years with Tampa, Cobb posted a 3.50 ERA in 115 starts with a respectable 1.22 WHIP.

Since leaving Tampa, Cobb has been battling some injuries and has only been able to pitch over 100 innings in a season once. Also his ERA has increased to 5.10 since that time. This year he is on pace to go 140 innings should he manage to stay healthy.

Jun 12, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (18) stretches during the seventh inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

NY Mets Trade Candidate: Yusei Kikuchi

Yusei Kikuchi is a Japanese southpaw putting up career best numbers in 2021 pitching for the Seattle Mariners. Coming into 2021, he had a 5.38 ERA in the Majors in his first two years with Seattle. This season has been a different story, as Kikuchi has been one of their best pitchers in the rotation – posting a 3.66 ERA in 12 starts with a K to BB ratio of 3. However similar to the Angels, the Mariners are nine games back of first place in the American League west and may want to start building for next season.

If the Mets are to land the southpaw in a trade, it may cost them more than what it would to acquire Alex Cobb. However Kikuchi’s contract is team friendly in that it allows whichever team that he plays for the right to exercise their option to bring him back or release him if he doesn’t perform to their expectations. That team will have this option all the way to the year 2025. So the Mets would not be burdened into anything long term or guaranteed.

For me personally, I think Kikuchi would be the most ideal pick up out of the three pitchers in this article. He has shown the ability to put together many quality starts consecutively and has the ability to work both sides of the plate very well. Also he is just 30 years old and should have a few more good years left in him at a reasonable salary after this season.

Jun 14, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Matthew Boyd (48) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /

NY Mets Trade Candidate: Matthew Boyd

The final pitcher on my list I think the Mets should target as a pick up from the American League is the six year southpaw veteran Matthew Boyd from the Detroit Tigers. Boyd got out to a hot start in 2021, posting a 1.94 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP through his first seven outings. Since then he has come back down to earth a little. Boyd features a decent three pitch arsenal consisting of a fastball, change up and slider which he can use to generate decent strike out numbers.

Boyd is currently putting up his career best in ERA this season so far and has shown in the past that he can pitch over 150 innings a season for multiple years. This is the type of consistency and availability the Mets need considering they are constantly getting bombarded with a rash of injuries to their starting rotation.

Next. Greatest trades in Mets history

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With the Detroit Tigers 14 games out of first place in the American League central and going nowhere fast, playoff contending teams can expect the Washington state native to be put on the midseason trading block very soon. Don’t be surprised if the Mets pounce at the opportunity, though they may have to part with a prospect the likes of Mark Vientos to bring back Boyd.

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