NY Mets: Danny Duffy should be a trade deadline target

The New York Mets entered the All-Star break with a 47-40 record. Considering all of the team’s injuries, this mark has to be considered an accomplishment. Coupled with the fact that the Atlanta Braves, their main threat for the division, has struggled all year and just lost Ronald Acuna Jr. for the season, the Mets will enter the second half of the season as the favorite to win the National League East.

As a result, the Mets should be proactive at the trade deadline, filling in the patches in their starting rotation and bullpen to set themselves up for a deep postseason run. High on the agenda list should be finding another left-handed starting pitcher who could fill the spots that David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi held until both of them landed on the IL.

One starting pitcher who makes a lot of sense is Danny Duffy, who is currently pitching for a rebuilding Kansas City Royals team. Duffy is a seasoned veteran whose ceiling has been reached at this point, but he could still provide valuable innings and deepen a thin Mets rotation. He has spent his entire 11-year career with the Royals, compiling a 3.95 ERA in 203 career starts and 30 appearances out of the bullpen.

The Mets could use another starting pitcher to strengthen an injury-plagued rotation. The Royals’ Danny Duffy should be one pitcher under serious consideration.

As a left-handed pitcher, Duffy would serve as a comparable replacement for David Peterson, who will still be out for several weeks post-All Star break. He is also having a superior season to Peterson thus far. Peterson, when he went on the IL, compiled a 5.53 ERA and 1.395 WHIP. Duffy, on the other hand, is having one of his best seasons of his career and currently has a 2.53 ERA and a 1.246 WHIP.

Another main reason why Duffy would be a great deadline target for the Mets is his proven experience in a dual role. This year, Royals manager Mike Matheny has utilized Duffy both as a starter and used him once as a left-handed reliever out of the Royals bullpen. He has also performed this dual role before with the team back in 2016. His versatility and flexibility is something that the Mets would find valuable, because he would not prevent one of the injured starters from gaining their spot in the rotation.

Presuming the Mets get Syndergaard, Peterson, and Carrasco back from the IL, Duffy could easily slot in as a long reliever in the Mets bullpen, which would only strengthen the team’s already strong bullpen.

Instead of acquiring both a starter and reliever at the deadline, acquiring Duffy would allow them to accomplish two tasks at once. He could serve as an integral piece for the Mets in various roles, and he is another proven veteran with postseason experience, which could be valuable to a Mets team that has a lot of young burgeoning stars.

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For a team with World Series aspirations, fortifying their starting pitching should be of utmost importance, and making a move for Duffy would leave the team in a  much better position down the stretch.