3 NY Mets players on the 40-man roster to shop heavily at the trade deadline

New York Mets fans want the team to get better, but no one wants to subtract from a farm system that seems top-heavy with talent nearing their MLB debuts. There are a couple of players fans would have already liked to experience in the majors. In the post-trade deadline world, perhaps David Stearns finally does give them an opportunity.

First, he’ll need to try to improve the current roster. Hugging some of their best prospects closely, the Mets have an opportunity to subtract from their existing 40-man roster rather than exclusively trade prospects. It’s these three players the team needs to shop like Facebook Marketplace is about to disappear for good.

1) Luisangel Acuna

Luisangel Acuna’s appeal is his speed (and his name). His inability to hit regularly at the major league level has had him viewing games from the bench more often than not. No room for him ever to become a regular at shortstop, the Mets haven’t handed him the starting job at second base. In fact, he battled early on this year against Brett Baty for those reps.

Flash forward to July and the position still remains the most fluid of any on the field. Jeff McNeil continues to play second base regularly with doses of Acuna and others. Yet to deploy Acuna regularly at center field where he seemed like a natural fit thanks to his speed, the Mets are holding him back from being more useful than he could potentially be. Is it because they just aren’t a fan of his defense or are they afraid of exposing one more reason why teams shouldn’t have interest in trading for him?

Acuna is worth shopping heavily at this year’s trade deadline if the goal is to keep the best prospects while bettering the major league roster. His bat seems to have the least potential of any of the young outfielders. As incredible as his speed is and satisfying as the glove has looked, players with those attributes are easy to find on the scrap heap.