Debatable NY Mets trade deadline need is less of a luxury, more of a requirement

The Mets can't go on like this.
New York Mets v Baltimore Orioles - Game One
New York Mets v Baltimore Orioles - Game One | Greg Fiume/GettyImages

The New York Mets have some clear work to do ahead of the July 31 trade deadline in order to shore up holes and get the roster to a place where it is poised to make a deep October run.

While third base, the bullpen, and the starting rotation look like prime areas that need to be addressed, one position that should be quickly shooting up David Stearns' shopping list is center field.

The plan going into the season was for incumbent Tyrone Taylor to work in a timeshare with the powerful, yet strikeout-prone Jose Siri in hopes that the pair's solid defense and lightning in a bottle offense would be enough to carry them through. However, Siri hasn't played since fracturing his right tibia back on April 12, and doesn't look to be close to a return.

That has left Tyrone Taylor, with some infrequent assistance from Jeff McNeil, taking the lion's share of the center field reps, and the results have just not been good. While Taylor has hovered around a 100 wRC+ for his career, which, combined with his defensive chops, has made him a solid and possibly underrated player, his bat has simply not shown up this year with a 65 wRC+ on the season.

A .513 OPS in June and a .374 OPS so far in July have made his place in the starting lineup untenable at this point. As his offensive spiral continues, it is imperative that the Mets begin considering other options.

Tyrone Taylor's offensive struggles should have center field shooting up the Mets' deadline shopping list

As currently constructed, one-third of the Mets' lineup on a given day is set to be filled with deeply flawed options. In order to contend, the Mets cannot simply survive that way.

However, as bleak as things have been at times at third base, the Mets at least have a young cast of characters they can run through in hopes of catching lightning in a bottle. Mark Vientos has been dreadful, but is just one year removed from a 133 wRC+. Ronny Mauricio has started to pick it up with a .269/.367/.462 line in June. And then there's always Brett Baty, which admittedly isn't much.

As for catcher, the offensive bar is lower due to the physical demands of the position. Luis Torrens' defensive-minded approach is still good enough to provide positive value, while Francisco Alvarez's hot streak with Triple-A Syracuse provides hope that he's worked his way out of his offensive funk and should be back up and contributing soon.

That leaves center field as the biggest offensive pain point. Long rumored to be a Mets' target, Luis Robert Jr. still hasn't emerged from his multi-year funk. Cedric Mullins, the other top option on the trade market, has posted a -17 defensive runs saved mark, which is the worst in the league, making him an unlikely fit.

An intriguing option might be Oneil Cruz, who was conspicuously absent from the Pittsburgh Pirates' untouchable list. Still, Cruz is rough around the edges defensively, with 2025 being his first full season converting from shortstop to center field.

Cruz presents other hurdles as well. Despite prodigious power, the 26-year-old is running a 32.2% strikeout rate. He balances that with a healthy 13.1 walk rate, but he's still got some kinks in his game that need to be ironed out. Furthermore, with him being under team control through 2028, he won't come cheap.

David Stearns will need to get creative and potentially venture outside of his comfort zone because the Mets can't continue to rely on Tyrone Taylor to hold down center field. A calculated risk could force Taylor back to his more comfortable defensive specialist role, while providing the Mets with much-needed offensive upside to lengthen the lineup.