3 red hot relievers the NY Mets should trade for before their stock goes up further

2) Anthony Bender

Despite playing much better baseball recently, the Miami Marlins aren’t fooling anyone. They will, yet again, be in the market to sell this year. Reliever Anthony Bender has been with them since 2021 and in the midst of a pretty awesome season, it could make sense for them to trade the veteran righty.

Bender has a 2.11 ERA on the season with an active scoreless streak of 8 games dating back to June 19. Unlike Detmers, he isn’t making any sort of new transition. His season has also been as steady as it goes. His highest ERA at any point following a game this year was at 2.70.

Controlled for two more seasons, selling Bender now isn’t a must for Miami. Last year’s fire sale felt more necessary for where the team was and where they were heading. While none of us should actually believe they’re about to be a threat in the NL East or Wild Card picture at all, they could justify keeping Bender whose salary is only $1.42 million this season.

On the Mets roster, Bender would merely be an improvement over their current carousel of players going up an own from the minors. Bender happens to have all of his minor league options left, adding to the allure. It was one of the reasons why last summer’s deal for Huascar Brazoban was a worthwhile deal to make. It’s not unheard of for the Marlins to, once again, sell a player making little money (in baseball terms) with a few years of control. If it’s Bender the Mets look to add, he should be one of the lesser players acquired, not the headliner.