NY Mets: 4 trade targets on the Twins not named Jose Berrios to consider

May 8, 2018; Cincinnati, OH, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Hansel Robles (47) against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
May 8, 2018; Cincinnati, OH, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Hansel Robles (47) against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
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Jun 24, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Taylor Rogers (55) throws a pitch against the Cleveland Indians during the eighth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Taylor Rogers is a third reliever from the Twins who could help the Mets, though he might be a little bit more difficult to get.

The southpaw and 2021 first-time All-Star has a 3.43 ERA this season through nearly 40 innings, which alone is already very respectable. However, he has a 2.21 FIP and 2.54 expected ERA, the latter of which is in the 95th percentile, so luck has not been on his side.

Rogers has been in the league since 2016, and really, he’s never been bad. His worst year, like so many players, was in 2020, and even then his ERA of 4.05 isn’t horrendous and his ERA+ of 107 means he was still a bit above league average.

In the four seasons prior, Rogers appeared in at least 57 games each season, combining for a 3.04 ERA and 144 ERA+ over about 250 innings pitched.

One minor concern with Rogers is he is a bit of a lefty specialist. While he’s held lefties to a .173 batting average and .535 OPS this season, righties have hit a noticeably better .286 with a .715 OPS against him. Even so, that’s not horrible, and he’s still more than capable of getting righties out.

Unlike Robles and Colomé though, Rogers isn’t a rental. He still has one more year of team control left before he hits the free-agent market ahead of the 2023 season. By trading for him, the Mets would be getting him not only for the playoff push this year but also to be an integral part of the back end of their bullpen next year.

With that being the case, he’s going to cost the Mets more than what Robles and Colomé would. He’s still a reliever so it’s likely not going to be any of the Mets’ top-top prospects, but the combination of his talent level and controllability will probably cost the Mets at least something of decent value.

If the right deal emerges though, he would be an absolutely huge pickup for a bullpen that currently only has one major league caliber lefty.

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