NY Mets: 1 realistic trade candidate from every team

The New York Mets have stumbled to the finish line in 2021, going from sitting comfortably in first place for much of the year to a third-place finish. They have missed the postseason for the fifth consecutive year. It was a very frustrating and disheartening year in Steve Cohen’s first year as the team owner.

With Cohen at the helm and his $14 billion dollar net worth, the Mets are expected to and must spend this offseason. There are plenty of free agents for them to look into like Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa, and Nick Castellanos. They also have plenty of free agents to look into re-signing like Marcus Stroman, Javier Baez, Michael Conforto, and Noah Syndergaard.

While the free-agent route is always appealing since the Mets only have to give up money to get players, the trade route is an acceptable path to improving the team as well.

There are plenty of trade candidates the Mets should look into to try and improve this team.

They have a lot of holes to fill. They’re 27th in all of baseball in runs per game at a pathetic 3.89 runs per game. It goes without saying the Mets must improve their lineup to win games.

They also need to improve their pitching. Once Jacob deGrom went down with an injury, the Mets starting rotation really struggled in the second half which was a huge reason why the Mets collapsed down the stretch. Upgrading the rotation and team depth, in general, will go a long way.

A great way for the Mets to go about getting the pieces they need without spending $20 million dollars or more on every position is via trade. Here are some targets the Mets should look into.

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.

Cubs

Kyle Hendricks has been a lynchpin in the Cubs rotation for years and has been rock solid. He’s a guy that’s always making 30+ starts and eating innings. With the Mets having Marcus Stroman and Noah Syndergaard entering free agency and potentially leaving, the Mets could trade for Hendricks to provide some stability to the back end of the rotation.

Despite having a down year this year, I believe Hendricks can go back to his old form as he is a groundball pitcher who would be pitching in front of a defense which was very potent this season. He has two years left on his contract worth $14 million dollars a season, not a crazy salary to pay. He’s a very similar pitcher to Marcus Stroman who had a great year pitching in front of this Mets defense.

Reds

With the Reds missing the playoffs this season and their best player Nicholas Castellanos poised to hit free agency and likely leave, the Reds might decide to rebuild. If they do, a guy the Mets should look into is Sonny Gray. He’s proven to be a reliable mid-rotation arm with a lot of upsides. This season in a down year in which he battled injuries, he went 7-9 with a 4.19 ERA in 26 starts. I think the Mets would definitely take that and if the Reds are rebuilding he won’t cost too much as he has only two years of team control and he’s 31 years old.

Brewers

Something the Mets missed in their bullpen for most of this season was a second lefty. Brent Suter has been a reliable southpaw in the Brewers ‘pen for years and can do the same for the Mets.

As a former starter, Suter can give the Mets multiple innings out of the ‘pen as he did this year with the Brewers. He pitched 73.1 innings in 61 appearances. He’s a guy that doesn’t walk people (2.1 BB/9 in his career) and keeps the ball in the ballpark (1.2 HR/9 in his career.)

Pirates

One of my favorite players in all of baseball is Bryan Reynolds. He’s a guy that can hit, hit for power, run, plays good defense, he can do it all. He was an all-star this season slashing .302/.390/.522 with 24 home runs and 90 RBI. Reynold’s 142 WRC+ was good for fifth in the National League and tenth in all of baseball.

With Michael Conforto set to be a free agent, the Mets will have at least one hole to fill in the outfield. The Mets can move Brandon Nimmo or even use Reynolds in a corner outfield spot. Reynolds is 26 years old so the Pirates might be willing to move him for a slew of prospects as they will not be competing any time soon. While it is definitely unlikely, he’s a name I’d love the Mets to look into.

Cardinals

One of the more electric relievers in baseball is Jordan Hicks. He hits 100 mph on the radar gun consistently, throwing as hard as 105. Along with that, he has a devastating slider and changeup.

Unfortunately for Hicks, he has had injury issues. Elbow problems left him out of the entire 2020 season and he pitched in just 10 games this season before his season-ending elbow injury in May.

Trading for Hicks would definitely be risky due to his injury history, but the potential is impossible to ignore. If the Mets can buy low on him I think that would be a great move.

Diamondbacks

One of the more underrated pitchers in baseball in my opinion is Zac Gallen. This season was a down year for him as he went 4-10 with a 4.30 ERA in 23 starts. Gallen battled through multiple injuries this season which might have led to his down year.

He is a pitcher that strikes out a lot of hitters (10.4 k/9 in his career) and keeps the ball in the ballpark (1.2 HR/9 in his career). I expect next season when completely healthy Gallen will be closer to the pitcher he was in his first two seasons when he pitched to ERA’s under 3.

Gallen is 26 years old and the Diamondbacks are coming off of a 110 loss season. He would cost a lot but they might be willing to move Gallen for the right price, something the Mets should definitely look into.

With the Mets set to potentially lose Marcus Stroman, bringing in someone like Gallen who will not make a lot of money and has years of team control left would be very beneficial.

Rockies

Pitchers at Coors Field seem to be destined to fail. The Rockies never are able to build a strong rotation and that has a lot to do with Coors Field. Pitching in the altitude 81 games a year is very tough. Even with those difficulties, German Marquez has been rock solid in his six-year career.

His success is largely due to his ability to keep the ball in the ballpark, something that is not easy to do at Coors Field, as he has allowed 1.2 HR/9 in his career. He also doesn’t walk people, (2.6 BB/9 in his career.)

This season, Marquez made 30 starts and threw 180 innings, something the Mets could’ve really used with their injury-riddled rotation. Having someone take the ball every five days and be reliable enough to deliver a quality start while pitching most of his games at Coors Field would be huge for the Mets.

Marquez is 26 and has two years left on his deal worth $26 million dollars along with a $16 million-dollar club option in 2024. Getting a mid-rotation arm who’s already locked up on relatively cheap money would be great for this Mets team.

Dodgers

Coming off of a horrible year in which Cody Bellinger posted a 48 WRC+ and only played 95 games thanks to injury, his value is never going to be lower.  With that in mind, it’s unlikely the Dodgers move on from the former MVP but the Mets should do their due diligence.

Bellinger bouncing back in the postseason points to the fact that he has fixed whatever went wrong during the regular season and he should be closer to his former MVP self in the years to come.

With two years of team control left, it would likely take a haul to get him but if the Dodgers actually listen to offers it would be foolish for the Mets to not inquire.

Padres

For the longest time, Craig Stammen has been one of the more underrated pitchers in baseball. He can pitch in a variety of roles. He was an opener four times this season, can pitch late in games and can give multiple innings in long relief. Stammen threw 88.1 innings in 67 appearances this season.

Instead of turning to someone like Robert Gsellman or Yennsy Diaz for length, the Mets can get the 37-year-old to pitch in that role or pitch later in games if that’s what’s needed.

Giants

While Mets pinch hitters had great success this season, I believe they would benefit from lengthening their bench next season. One guy who can be in that role and can also step in and play every day at a couple of different positions if needed is former Met fan favorite, Wilmer Flores.

This season for the Giants Flores slashed .262/.335/.447 with 18 home runs and 53 RBI. He’s a career 105 OPS+ hitter and if the DH is instituted in the NL, Flores becomes even more valuable with his poor defense.

The 30-year-old has one year left on his deal and would be a nice fit on a team lacking a lot of right-handed power.

White Sox

The Mets have had a ton of defensive-minded center fielders in the last couple of years. Guys like Juan Lagares, Keon Broxton, Jake Marisnick, and Billy Hamilton have had that role just to name a few. Someone who I think is a step up from just a one-dimensional outfielder is Adam Engel.

By no means should he play every day, but I think Adam Engel would be a good get for the Mets. He’s one of the fastest players in baseball, shown by him being in the 98th percentile in sprint speed according to baseball savant. He can be a potential pinch-runner and fourth outfielder for the Mets next season.

Indians

Easily the best player on this list is Jose Ramirez. In my opinion, Ramirez is one of the ten best players in baseball, and he might even be making a push for top five. This season, Ramirez slashed .266/.355/.538 with 36 home runs and 103 RBI. Ramirez’s 137 WRC+ was good for seventh in the American League.

Along with that elite bat Ramirez has an outstanding glove. He was in the 94th percentile in outs above average this season according to baseball savant. The switch-hitting third baseman is an elite option and if Cleveland makes him available, the Mets should be all over him to pair with Francisco Lindor again.

He will cost a king’s ransom, but I’d be comfortable giving up any prospect package as long as it doesn’t include Francisco Alvarez. Please make this happen.

Tigers

A player who had a really underrated and good season is Robbie Grossman. He slashed .239/.357/.415 with 23 home runs and 67 RBI. Grossman stole 20 bases and was fourth in all of baseball with 98 walks.

Grossman can fill in and play right field if Michael Conforto leaves and hit towards the top of the order in front of or behind Brandon Nimmo. Having two guys who will work pitch counts and draw a ton of walks in front of the Mets’ big boppers sounds really good to me.

Grossman is under contract making $5 million dollars next season, a bargain for someone who was really productive for the rebuilding Tigers in 2021.

Royals

The injury bug seems to hamper the Mets every year. This season it felt like every key player spent time on the IL. Dom Smith was the only projected starter to not make a trip onto the injured list. Someone who never gets hurt and has played in every game in each of the last three seasons is Whit Merrifield.

Merrifield is one of the more underrated players in baseball. He plays every single day at a bunch of different positions. He plays a lot of second base, has spent time in the outfield as well.

Merrifield slashed .277/.317/.395 for the Royals this season with 10 home runs and 74 RBI. Those numbers are solid, but the best quality Merrifield has is his base-stealing ability. Merrifield stole 40 bases in 44 opportunities this season. He’s stolen as many as 45 in a season.

The 32-year-old somehow is only making $2.75 million dollars this season and has a $6.5 million dollar club option for next season.

With the Royals rebuilding, this might be their best chance to move on from Merrifield when he has two years of team control left. With Michael Conforto potentially leaving, the Mets can stick Merrifield in right field, or they can decide to play him at second base and move Jeff McNeil to third.

Plugging Merrifield in the top of this Mets lineup either in front of or behind Brandon Nimmo would create an unreal top two which would cause a lot of problems for opponents before pitching to guys like Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso.

Twins

In what was a down year for the Twins, Jorge Polanco put up monster numbers. He slashed .269/.323/.503 with a career-high 33 home runs and 98 RBI. The 73-89 Twins might opt to tear everything down and rebuild, which would likely mean trading Polanco while his value is at its highest.

This season was definitely not a fluke. In the last full season in 2019, Polanco slashed .295/.356/.485 with 22 home runs and 79 RBI. The Mets can get Polanco and plug him somewhere in the infield, giving them a switch hitter who can hit for power.

Polanco’s contract is very team-friendly as well. He has three years guaranteed at $23.5 million dollars total, and a club option in 2025 worth $12 million dollars. The 28-year-old is in his prime and should continue to be a really good player on a really team-friendly contract.

Astros

Aledmys Diaz has been a key bench piece for the Astros in each of the last three seasons. He’s got a pretty good bat as he slashed .259/.317/.405 with eight home runs and 45 RBI in 294 at-bats this season.

Diaz can fill in on the left side of the infield if someone gets hurt or can be useful as a bat off the bench. The 31-year-old has one year of arbitration remaining and can be a solid bench option for the Mets in 2022.

Angels

Mike Mayers has been a solid arm out of the Angels bullpen the last two seasons. This season he went 5-5 with a 3.84 ERA in 72 appearances. He struck out 10.8/9 and allowed just 1.3 HR/9.

Mayers has two years of arbitration left and can slot in nicely in a middle relief role for the Mets.

He recorded more than three outs 18 times this season and served as an opener in two games so he can fill in at a bunch of different roles for this Mets team which can be very useful.

Athletics

A.J. Puk was at one time a highly touted prospect in Oakland’s system. He’s a left-hander who throws hard and has good stuff.

The Athletics seemed to have given up on him being a starter, but there’s still a chance he can be an effective reliever in this league. The 26-year-old struggled in his cup of coffee in the bigs this year as he went 0-3 with a 6.08 ERA in his 13.1 innings pitched. However, in those 13.1 innings, he struck out 16 batters, a 10.8 K/9. That shows me that the stuff is there, and if he can locate it, he can be effective.

He might not help the Mets immediately, but with some additional seasoning in AAA, Puk might prove to be useful later in the year in 2022. It’s worth the gamble since I don’t think he would cost very much in a trade.

Mariners

The Mariners were one of the great stories in baseball this season and that was thanks in large part to Mitch Haniger. After suffering through multiple injuries and setbacks in 2019 and missing all of 2020, Haniger came back in 2021 and put up a monster year. He slashed .253/.384/.485 with 39 home runs and 100 RBI.

Yes, the Mariners had a great year and would be trading one of their better players but they have every reason to sell high while they still can. Haniger has one year of arbitration left and then he is a free agent in 2023.

He is 30 years old and the Mariners have plenty of young outfielders to count on including guys like Jarred Kelenic, Kyle Lewis, and Taylor Trammell. Is it likely they will opt to pay him what he’s going to get on the open market when he’s already over 30?

Haniger would provide much-needed power and would be a nice replacement for Michael Conforto for 2022 and potentially beyond.

Rangers

Jose Leclerc missed all of the 2021 season after recovering from Tommy John Surgery he had in 2020. Prior to the injury, Leclerc was one of the better and more underrated relievers in the game.

He’s got electric stuff and strikes out a ton of batters (12.5 K/9 in his career). While walks are an issue, (5.7 BB/9 in his career), he keeps the ball in the ballpark (0.6 HR/9 in his career.)

Leclerc is 27 and has three years of control left on his deal including two years with club options worth $17 million dollars in totality. The club option years make up $12.25 million dollars of the $17 million dollars.

The Mets would be getting Leclerc at pretty low value as he would be coming off of a major injury. While there is definitely some risk for the Mets acquiring him, I think the reward is very worth it. When right, he is one of the more dominant relievers in the game.

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