1 realistic trade, 1 bold one, and 1 mistake NY Mets could make at the GM Meetings

The GM Meetings are taking place this week and while it typically doesn’t have the same kind of gusto as the MLB Winter Meetings in December, the impending lockout might just have the next couple of days producing more action than usual. The New York Mets don’t actually have a GM, but a POBO card works just the same. David Stearns should be present to mingle and get some conversations started, maybe even a trade completed over a bottle of Zima.

In the next few days, we should expect plenty more rumors about Mets free agent targets as well as some trade scenarios. What’s a realistic, a bold, and a mistake trade they could make at the GM Meetings?

Realistic, bold, and mistakes the Mets could make with trades at this week's GM Meetings

A realistic Mets trade: Mark Vientos anywhere for a prospect and a bag of balls

Mark Vientos can’t be on the roster next year. It would be a repeated mistake by the Mets for buying into him for a second-consecutive year after a poor one. They showed little interest in keeping him around. This means shopping him around and cutting him later on if you have to.

Vientos is a non-tender candidate and yet the Mets shouldn’t be too quick to cut him loose for free. Surely, someone will be willing to trade a no-name prospect for a closer look at Vientos. The Arizona Diamondbacks might not be a bad fit. They had some of the worst offensive production last year from their first basemen and DHs. The .636 OPS from first basemen was last in baseball. The .630 OPS from the DH spot was 28th.

A bold Mets trade; Trading Francisco Alvarez to land a starting pitcher

You can make the argument in either direction as to what the Mets should do with Francisco Alvarez. He is constantly teetering on awesomeness and yet the defense never seems to climb over the necessary hurdles. The Mets clearly prefer Luis Torrens behind the plate. Alvarez doesn’t hit enough to be a full-time DH nor does the roster construction allow it.

Many would declare trading Alvarez more of a mistake than bold. That’s why he will remain the most hotly-contested trade candidate on the roster. Everyone understands the why and the why not with him. Plenty of teams could use him. A swap that begins with him for Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers is one example. Over the summer, it was reported the Angels were looking for catching help. It feels like a perfect match.

A Mets trade mistake: Adding any starting pitcher rental

Joe Ryan to the Mets seems plausible given the hiring of Derek Falvey. However, with Ryan’s contract up after the 2027 season, he falls into that risky category of one-and-done. He’s essentially in the same position as Freddy Peralta was when the Mets sent two top 100 prospects to the Milwaukee Brewers to acquire him.

The Mets don’t have two top 100 prospects at the moment. Only Jefferson Rojas, whom they should hold onto, sits among the best. Former top 100 prospects like Alvarez and Jonah Tong have value and could help the Mets more easily snatch a starting pitcher solution. The Mets shouldn’t completely ignore rental starting pitchers. The GM Meetings isn’t the time to make a trade like this. Post-lockout, there are sure to be remaining opportunities. Anything short of an absolute steal on the trade market should have the Mets focused more on free agency. Prematurely trading for Nathan Eovaldi or some other deal which is more money-motivated by the other team will only hinder the Mets later on in the offseason.

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