The MLB trade deadline is scheduled for July 31st. This is the final chance until the offseason for teams to bolster their rosters for a run at playoff contention, and sellers to try and sell high on some of their players. Typically, the prices for players are high, and plenty of times, teams who think they have a shot at a deep playoff run will gladly overpay for a player they think could be an important contributor down the line. However, the New York Mets could avoid having to overpay for some players at the deadline. There are a lot of areas on the roster they likely won't be so desperate, they give into an overpay to reinforce. These five Mets will ease their concerns in the second half of the season, and will provide depth so the Mets won't have to give into another team's demands.
1) Ronny Mauricio
Ronny Mauricio was a consensus top 100 prospect heading into 2022. He made his Major League debut in 2023 and flashed his high-ceiling potential. While Mauricio had the potential to overtake a role on the 2024 Mets, his season would come to an end before it even began. The young infielder tore his ACL while playing in the Dominican Winter League.
Although it'sit's taken a while for Mauricio to recover, he is back in action. He'sHe's begun his rehab at St. Lucie, and while he only has two hits, only one walk, and five strikeouts in 16 plate appearances, his getting back into action after such a major injury is good to see. The last time Mauricio got any extended playing time was at Triple-A Syracuse in 2023.
Mauricio batted .292/.356/.506 with a .369 wOBA, and 106 wRC+ through 532 plate appearances. It was his third straight year with at least 20 home runs, clocking 23 balls out of the park. It was also his second straight 20/20 season, as he went 24/31 in stolen base attempts. He only struck out 18.2% of the time and drew a walk in 6.6% of his plate appearances.
The Mets can use Mauricio during the second half of the season in many ways. He mostly saw time at the keystone during his brief MLB promotion in 2023, but has plenty of playing time at shortstop and the hot corner. Mauricio is also familiar with left field, logging more innings in left at Syracuse in 2023 than at either shortstop or third base. His versatility could give the Mets a flexible roster option during the second half of the season.