3 NY Mets backup plans if the right trade deadline deal doesn’t come along

2) Drew Gilbert - center field

Center field is the one position of need for the Mets offensively that, lucky for them, has a solution in the minor leagues. Call up Drew Gilbert and call it a day. Keep the farm system intact.

Or don’t. They just can’t keep rolling Tyrone Taylor out there regularly and expect him to start hitting. Jeff McNeil has done a fine job. However, until more of the young players begin to perform, he is better as a second baseman with occasional appearances in center field.

Gilbert has been better lately, catching everyone’s attention on Friday with a two-home run game. The fallen upper echelon prospect of the Mets has finally heated up with an OPS on the year nearing the .800 mark. It’s not remarkable but a nice change of pace for a guy who looked like he’d never even be a consideration for the major league roster this season.

We’re around the two-year mark of when Gilbert came to the Mets in the Justin Verlander deal with the Houston Astros. From highly-anticipated in 2023 to frustratingly bad and absent in 2024 to a Lloyd Christmas “so you’re telling me there’s a chance” vibe in 2025, he’s becoming a suitable backup plan for the Mets to consider.

When asked, David Stearns gave a token GM response of sounding open yet not committed to anything.