NY Mets players whose roles will change following the trade deadline

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Jul 25, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman J.D. Davis (28) at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports /

The New York Mets made news headlines after acquiring superstar shortstop Javier Báez from the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline. Prior to that, they acquired veteran SP Rich Hill from the Tampa Bay Rays. They also received RHP Trevor Williams from the Cubs in the Báez trade.

The Mets didn’t have a fantastic deadline and definitely made a mistake by not adding more pitching.

Nonetheless, the Mets were pretty active and the moves they made are going to have an impact on several of the team’s players.

Let’s take a look at some of the players whose futures will be altered post-deadline.

J.D. Davis

Many are expecting it, but the Báez acquisition is all but confirmation that J.D. Davis’ time with the Mets is coming to an end. The fact that the Mets were attempting to deal him at the deadline only bolsters that argument.

Davis will almost certainly be the odd man out once Francisco Lindor returns. The starting infield will likely feature Pete Alonso at first base, Báez at second, Lindor at shortstop, and Jeff McNeil at third. All four of these players are better than Davis offensively and defensively and none will be benched in favor of him.

Davis is also capable of playing left field, but Dominic Smith has claimed that job for himself and is the better option as a hitter and fielder.

This will be Davis’ future whether or not Báez remains with the Mets after the season. Barring further injuries to the starting infielders, Davis will become a bench player once Lindor returns for the remainder of the season and then will likely be traded during the offseason (he will not become an unrestricted free agent until the 2025 season).

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 25: Michael Conforto #30 of the New York Mets at bat against the Toronto Blue Jays at Citi Field on July 25, 2021 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /

Jeff McNeil

Speaking of McNeil… He’s another player whose role will change in a big way now that Báez is in Queens. The Mets trust McNeil’s ability to play multiple positions and likely will not have an issue making him useful at a variety of positions.

McNeil is a better fielder at second base, but he’s more than serviceable at the hot corner and is certainly a defensive upgrade over Davis.

Michael Conforto

Michael Conforto’s role isn’t exactly changing- he’s still the team’s primary right fielder- but Báez’s future with the Mets will have an effect on Conforto’s.

As we know, Conforto will become an UFA after the season is up. The Mets attempted to extend him in the offseason after he put up MVP numbers last year to a deal worth over $100 million, but Conforto’s camp didn’t agree. That was clearly a mistake because Conforto is having as disastrous a season as possible.

The 28-year-old is slashing .197/.326/.327 with a 13.1 BB%, 22.8 K%, .242 BABIP, .298 wOBA, 90 wrC+, and 0 WAR. Most of these numbers are career-lows. He also missed about a month with a serious hamstring injury.

Conforto has already lost most of his leverage because of his terrible season, but if the Mets are looking to keep Báez long-term, that will certainly have implications for Conforto and his potential new deal.

Conforto could very well end up having to accept a smaller deal because of the season he’s had and the fact that the Mets would be prioritizing Báez.

BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 08: David Peterson #23 of the New York Mets pitches in the first inning during a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 8, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Jonathan Villar

Jonathan Villar was a signing that made much sense at the time and has proven to be excellent. He’s been a valuable utility player for the Mets who has had to step up big time when so many of the team’s players went down with injuries.

However, barring any more injuries to the team’s starting infielders, Villar will see less playing time once Lindor returns. The Mets will finally have their ideal starting infield when this does happen and Villar will have the role he was expected to have when he was signed: a valuable bat and glove off the bench.

David Peterson

The acquisition of Hill and the long-awaited Mets debut of Carlos Carrasco have changed the injury-riddled Mets rotation. As things stand, the rotation is currently comprised of Carrasco, Hill, Marcus Stroman, Tylor Megill, and Taijuan Walker.

After a surprisingly strong rookie season, David Peterson has struggled mightily this year. To make matters worse, he’s now serving time on the 60-day IL after undergoing foot surgery and will not be able to return until August 30th at the earliest.

The presence of Hill in the rotation leaves Peterson in a peculiar spot and on a short leash. When Peterson does return, the Mets will be playing very important baseball. They’ll either be fighting to remain at the top of the NL East, trying to climb back up, or looking to secure a wild card spot. Every game counts. They won’t be able to afford bad outings by Peterson.

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Peterson has to be able to turn things around at that point, or he will be moved to the bullpen. The fact that Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard could be making their returns around that time, as well, won’t help Peterson, either. Adding depth to the rotation means Peterson won’t have as much room to play poorly and will be demoted, just as Steven Matz was a year ago.

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