NY Mets: 3 trades to explore with their NL East rivals before the deadline

Less than one month away from the trade deadline, the New York Mets are currently sitting in first place in the NL East, and are primed to be a contending team as we head closer to the postseason.

Despite being a first place team, the Mets could stand to improve in a few areas, as they have been plagued with injuries throughout the 2021 season, and many of their starting players have underperformed over the first half of the season.

Naturally, any contending team would look to make a trade around this time of the year with one who is out of contention. However, teams typically avoid making trades with their division rivals as they are directly competing against each other and play one another the most often.

However, at the time of writing, the Mets are the only team with a record over .500, and while the year is far from over, it isn’t unrealistic for either the Nationals, Braves, Marlins or Phillies to be “sellers” at this year’s trade deadline.

The Mets should consider making a trade with an NL East Rival before the 2021 trade deadline.

In particular, the Mets have been without third baseman JD Davis for the bulk of the season, and starting pitchers Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco have yet to appear in the big leagues in 2021, all due to injury.

As for the underperforming players, Francisco Lindor, Michael Conforto and Jeff McNeil have been batting well below their career averages through the first half of the seasons, and starting pitcher David Peterson has also underperformed in his sophomore year.

As such, it seems like a perfect time to speculate which players the Mets could look to trade for if they decide to make a trade with another team in the NL East.

Marlins: CF Starling Marte

With the Miami Marlins currently sitting in last place in the NL East, they are the safest bets to be traders at this year’s deadline, while their starting center fielder is having an All-Star year, making him a trade target for any contending team.

The Marlins acquired Starling Marte in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season, and aided their postseason run in the Covid-19 shortened 2020 season. He was under contract with the team for the 2021 season as well, and has continued to perform at a high level.

Currently, Marte is batting .302 with a .404 OBP, with 6 HR and 18 RBI with 12 SB through 43 games over the first half of the 2021 season. He did miss time in late April and most of May, but since his return, Marte has continued to perform at a very high level for the Marlins.

Beyond that, his contract is set to expire following the 2021 season and Miami is very unlikely to re-sign him, meaning Marte is prime to be moved, the Mets would be smart to act quickly to acquire his services.

The Mets have dealt with a number of injuries in their outfield, and even when healthy, players like Michael Conforto and Dominic Smith are batting below their expectations at the plate.

Bringing in Marte would add a red hot bat to the top of the Mets’ lineup and a former gold glove in center field, which would allow Brandon Nimmo to shift into one of the corners. It would also bring in another right-handed bat in what is a very left-handed heavy lineup.

If the Mets are going all-in on a championship run in 2021 as so many years of falling short, then getting a player like Marte would go a long way in aiding their chances. Despite taking place within their own division, this could be a trade well worth the Mets pursuing.

Braves: SP Charlie Morton

While 3 of the Mets starting pitchers are ranked in the top 15 lowest ERAs in the MLB, the rotation does currently have a few holes with it, and making a trade appears to be the best way to address them.

As stated previously, Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco have yet to appear in 2021 while they recover from injuries, while LHP David Peterson has struggled in the rotation and Joey Lucchesi was recently ruled out for the year needing Tommy John Surgery.

Syndergaard and Carrasco aren’t expected to be rejoining the team any time soon, it would behoove New York to make a trade for a starting pitcher sooner rather than later, and the Braves’ Charlie Morton is a prime candidate to be moved.

At 37 years old, Morton is having a fine season, posting a 3.74 ERA over 86.2 innings while striking out 100 batters in 16 starts, good enough for a 7-3 record with Atlanta.

The Mets have gotten a good look at what Morton can do over the 2021 season, as they’ve faced him 3 times so far this year, logging a total of 19 innings, giving up only 4 runs while striking out 26 batters.

Despite his age, Morton has shown that he can still be a trusted hand on the mound, and given the face the Mets’ rotation is currently using unproven rookies and journeymen to help fill it out, he would be a welcome addition to the team.

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Morton would bring some welcome stability to the Mets’ starting rotation, and as he is one a one year deal, he wouldn’t be a big salary commitment at all. If the Braves end up being “sellers”, then this would be a trade the Mets would be smart to act on.