NY Mets Roster: Too early top 4 winter trade candidates

The New York Mets had one of their most active offseasons this past winter. This was especially true when it comes to trades. If you look back at the last decade, the offseason wasn’t generally when they made their biggest swaps.

There are exceptions to this. The current club is built with several players brought to the organization via trade. However, a good majority were either originally drafted by the organization or came to Queens via free agency.

I suspect this upcoming offseason will include a notable trade or two regardless of the way the season ends. The Mets are clearly an imperfect team which means improving the roster by any means necessary. I’ll create an updated list once the season is officially over, we regroup, and have a greater picture of what’s next whether it be a massive selloff or a parade.

As it stands, with less than a month to go, these are the four Mets players you should have penciled in as potential offseason trade candidates.

4) NY Mets trade candidate Edwin Diaz

It’s only in the last few days I have come to realize Edwin Diaz’s future may not be in the colors blue and orange. The closer brought in by Brodie Van Wagenen to make a difference starting in 2019 has not been the dominant finisher the club has needed. Better than some claim yet worse than his adoring fans, Diaz is a guy you can trust to gut out a brilliant two months then fall apart for two straight weeks.

While some trade value remains, I can see the Mets shopping him heavily as they look to overhaul the bullpen further and maybe get the most out of some other guys already locked into contracts. The team has some candidates already with the club. Trevor May could step into the closer’s role as could Seth Lugo—the latter maybe on a more temporary basis.

One other candidate, and it’s a long shot, would be to see them turn Noah Syndergaard into a reliever full-time. I don’t think Thor would have this in his plans for 2022 but if all else fails in his attempt to return as a starter, it’s a thought.

Diaz is set to hit free agency after the 2022 season along with a few other notable Mets players. Valuing a closer is never easy, especially one with as many hiccups as Diaz. I don’t think he will get traded but I do expect his name to appear in plenty of winter rumors.

3) NY Mets trade candidate Jeff McNeil

It pains me to admit Jeff McNeil might not be the man we thought he was. His struggles in 2021 could have him parting ways with the Mets this offseason. Previously viewed as a core member of the franchise, what they decide to do with Javier Baez could be a major factor into whether or not McNeil gets a shot at redemption in Flushing.

McNeil is far removed from being a guaranteed trade piece. However, I feel this year he has replaced another guy perpetually on the block, Brandon Nimmo.

McNeil has been shifted around so much you would swear management is simply doing it to improve their feng shui. In the past, he has gotten through all of the defensive changes. This year, with second base belonging to nobody but him at the start, he came up short at the plate.

Despite being an older player still in his arbitration years, McNeil remains a desirable trade chip other teams would love to have. The down year might hurt his stock, but someone would pay a nice price to have him.

The likelihood of this is still slimmer than the other two candidates to make it onto this list. Because the organization never originally intended for McNeil to end up as such an important piece with the club, we could see them move on from him with a future plan to have Ronny Mauricio as the second baseman of the future.

2) NY Mets trade candidate Dominic Smith

The Mets may have missed their best chance to trade Dominic Smith for something sweet. When Pete Alonso passed him on the depth chart in 2019, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Smith would end up with a different time.

Then something amazing happened. Smith cheered Alonso on. He became a great teammate, productive part-time player, and a serious candidate to take over in left field.

In 2020, we saw him put together a fabulous year. This hasn’t been the case in 2021 with his bad slumping despite some improvements as a defender in left field.

One thing holding the Mets back from actually trading Smith is probably the uncertainty about the future of a DH in the National League. There’s a natural move to make after. Alonso becomes a regular at DH with Smith moving to first base practically full-time. However, if he’s going to hit like he has in 2021, the Mets would be wiser to cut bait sooner than later.

Smith remains a guy that doesn’t quite squeeze in perfectly for what the Mets want. He has lost playing time late in 2021 which doesn’t bode well for his future in Flushing. An American League team looking for a first baseman, left fielder, and/or DH could suit him well—particularly one hoping to spend little money and get back into contention rather quickly.

National League teams could also view him favorably, possibly even in a platoon role with a right-handed bat. Smith has always played first base well. Will it be with the Mets he gets to eventually do it?