NY Mets: The case to trade for Kyle Gibson from the Rangers

Like in many of the New York Mets seasons in recent memory, 2021 has been plagued by injuries, with the team missing key players like Michael Conforto and Jeff McNeil for long stretches of time, while pitchers Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco have yet to pitch in the majors this season.

Syndergaard was expected to miss time to begin the year as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, but his return has been pushed back to August-September after being shut down during his rehab assignment due to elbow discomfort.

As for Carrasco, he was projected to be the team’s no. 2 or 3 starter, joining the Mets as a part of the Francisco Lindor trade off the heels of a very strong 2020 season. He has been sidelined all season due to a hamstring injury, but as of now, his timeline remains unknown

On top of that, left hander Joey Lucchesi had been serving as the team’s 5th starter, but will be out the rest of the year due to a torn UCL which requires Tommy John surgery, creating yet another hole in the Mets’ rotation.

Considering all the Mets’ injury woes, the team is still 1st place in the NL East, and with the trade deadline just over a month away, I say the time is now for the Mets to make a trade to help beef up the rotation as the post season draws near, but who exactly should the Mets trade for?

The New York Mets should trade for RHP Kyle Gibson from the Texas Rangers.

A 9-year vet, Kyle Gibson is experiencing a career resurgence as a member of the Rangers, posting the best numbers of his career with a 2.14 ERA over 14 starts, posting a 5-0 record as a member of the last-place Rangers.

Originally a first-round pick in the 2009 draft by the Minnesota Twins, Gibson made his MLB debut back in 2013 and went on to spend his first 7 years in the big leagues as a fixture in the Twin’s rotation before signing with the Rangers prior to the 2020 season on a 3-year deal.

While its only June, the Rangers don’t appear to have a competitive team in 2021 and are currently in last place in the AL West, so they will most likely be sellers at the trade deadline, and would be a very suitable trade partner for the New York Mets to engage with.

Seeing as Gibson is having an All-Star calibrate year on a losing team, it would make all the sense in the world for the Mets to strike while the iron is hot and bring him in to round out the rotation, given all the team’s injuries.

Additionally, the fact Gibson is under contract through the 2022 for a very reasonable salary of $7.6 million makes him an even more attractive acquisition, as other key pitchers like Marcus Stroman and Syndergaard are set to become free agents.

As for what the Mets would need to give up to acquire Gibson, there are surely going to be other contenders interested in him as well, so they’ll likely need to give up a few of their better prospects.

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The Mets would get a very capable starting pitcher for the next two seasons, while the Rangers would get to well-regarded minor league pitching prospects who could help fill out their rotation for years to come.