NY Mets: 1 realistic trade candidate from every team

Braves

Trading with division rivals especially when they’re trying to compete is pretty tough. The guy I have my eye on is A.J. Minter. The Braves have a ton of lefties in their bullpen so they can afford to give him up.

He had major control issues in the past but seemed to fix that as he toned his walks down from 7.1/9 in 2019 to 3.4/9 this season. Minter also only allowed two home runs in 52.1 innings pitched. Minter would fit in nicely as a second lefty in the Mets bullpen in 2022.

Phillies

Another divisional opponent trying to compete, I believe the Phillies will make upgrades to their bullpen through free agency which makes Sam Coonrod expendable. A solid middle relief arm with great stuff could be a pretty good buy-low candidate for the Mets to pursue to sure up their bullpen.

Marlins

One of the more underrated players in baseball in my opinion is Garrett Cooper. The one year he played over 100 games he slashed .281/.344/.446 with 15 home runs and 50 RBI back in 2019. In the last two seasons, he’s put up an OPS+ of 127 and 129 respectively, albeit in limited time.

I think Cooper would be a great bench bat or platoon option for the Mets to pursue who can also step in and play every day if needed in a corner outfield spot or first base. He’s 30 on a rebuilding team with nowhere really to play him so he likely won’t cost a lot while also having two years of team control left.

Nationals

This season was a disaster for Tanner Rainey who posted a 7.39 ERA in the Nats bullpen. A huge issue for Rainey who has electric stuff was the walks. He walked 7.1 batters per nine which is just unacceptable, up from his 3.1/9 in 2020.

He’s someone who’s had success in the past while also having three years of team control left so the Mets taking a flyer on him when his value is at its lowest wouldn’t be a bad thing to do. If he can’t fix his walk issue worse case they cut him. It won’t cost much to get him.