Ranking the top 5 NY Mets trade targets from the Padres roster

The New York Mets have lost a handful of key pieces of their 2025 roster this season, but it looks like they’re ready to make a move to hopefully recuperate some of their losses from the Winter Meetings. The Mets have recently been connected to the San Diego Padres as a potential trade partner. Although no massive blockbuster involving Francisco Lindor and Fernando Tatis Jr. is likely to happen, there are plenty of other names on the Padres’ roster the Mets could go after, so which ones are the least to best fit for the Mets?

5. Mason Miller

Mason Miller has become one of baseball’s premier relievers over the last two seasons. During 2025, the flamethrowing right-hander owned a 2.63 ERA, 2.23 FIP, and 0.91 WHIP over 61.2 innings with the Athletics and Padres. Miller struck out an awe-inspiring 44.4% of batters with a 0.99 HR/9, albeit with an unimpressive 12% walk rate. Although Miller had a solid 87.9 MPH exit velocity, he did have a mediocre 9.9% barrel rate. Miller was baseball’s hardest-throwing pitcher, averaging a scorching 101.6 MPH with his fastball. Unsurprisingly, he had an elite 123 Stuff+ (100 is average).

It would be fun to see the Mets acquire Miller, but he’d cost a fortune. Not only is Miller under control for four more seasons and an entire year away from arbitration, but the Padres just paid a king’s ransom to acquire him. They sent Leo De Vries, who is a consensus top-five prospect in all of baseball, along with Braden Nett and Henry Baez (who rank top ten in the A’s system), and Eduarniel Nunez, who ranks 15th by MLB Pipeline. The cost to acquire Miller from the Padres is probably in a similar range, and that’s something the Mets probably don’t want to spend.

4. Adrian Morejon

Adrian Morejon was once a consensus top 100 prospect in all of baseball heading into the 2020s. However, injuries sidetracked him for the first few years of his MLB career. Luckily, he re-invented himself as a reliever, broke out in 2024, and built upon that in 2025 with a 2.08 ERA, 2.28 FIP, and 0.90 WHIP over 73.2 innings of work. Morejon struck out just under a quarter of opponents with a 24.5% K%, and had a strong 5.9% BB%. Morejon was elite at limiting hard contact and home runs, ranking in the 98th percentile in exit velocity (85.9 MPH), the 97th percentile in barrel rate (4%), and holding opponents to a HR/9 of 0.24.

Morejon is not a long-term investment, as he is under control for 2026 and 2027. However, the Mets already have two established lefties in their bullpen between Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter. Morejon is not an absolute need for them right now. But Morejon has been lights out over the last two years, so the Mets should at least keep him in mind if the price is low enough.

3. Ramon Laureano

Ramon Laureano struggled between 2022 and 2024 because of injuries or underperformance. However, he had a strong rebound campaign in 2025, hitting .281/.342/.512 with a .364 wOBA and 138 wRC+ over 488 plate appearances with the Baltimore Orioles and the SD Padres. Laureano tied a career-high in home runs with 24, while putting up a career-best 13.8%, 85th percentile barrel rate. This wasn’t a complete fluke either, as the outfielder was in the 88th percentile of xwOBA (.360) and the 93rd percentile of xSLG% (.504). Defensively, Laureano was a mixed bag. Defensive runs saved loved his glove work, with +7. He also displayed his powerful arm, as he was in the 85th percentile of arm strength. But he was also a below-average route runner, and had -9 outs above average (second fewest of any qualified OF in 2025).

Laureano won’t hurt the wallet, as the Padres picked up his team option for a low price of just $6.5 million. The veteran outfielder isn’t without his red flags, though. Aside from his defense, 2025 marked the most games he’s ever appeared in, with only 132 contests played. It’s also just the second time he’s appeared in 120+ games, and he’s never had 500 plate appearances in one season. Still, the Mets need outfield help, and Laureano is one of the higher-upside veterans on the trade market, at least when it comes to hitting. Plus, he wouldn’t block any top prospect in the Mets’ system. The Mets were also connected to Laureano at the 2025 trade deadline (choosing Cedric Mullins to acquire instead), so it is possible they still see him as a trade option.

2. Nick Pivetta

The Mets have been looking for starting pitching help this offseason, and Nick Pivetta should be one of their top targets. Pivetta is coming off a career year in which he posted a 2.87 ERA, 3.49 FIP, and 0.99 WHIP over 181.2 innings. He had a healthy 26.4% strikeout rate, while only dishing out a free pass 6.4% of the time. Pivetta did have a below-average 90.3 MPH exit velocity and 10.3% barrel rate, with a 1.09 HR/9, but it was about the only negative to his season. Pivetta also had a solid 3.69 SIERA and 3.85 xFIP.

Pivetta has made 25+ starts in four of the last five seasons, with three of those campaigns having him begin 30+ outings. Even at his worst, he’s still about a league-average starter. Pivetta is set to make $19.75 million in 2026 and has player opt-outs for both 2027 and 2028. Pivetta could be a much-needed rotation anchor for the Mets. Their current rotation includes many unproven options, such as Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean, and Jonah Tong. Stalwarts like David Peterson, Sean Manaea, and Kodai Senga aren’t coming off promising 2025 seasons either. Meanwhile, the Mets can count on Pivetta to deliver 170 solid innings.

1. Jeremiah Estrada

Jeremiah Estrada is arguably the best possible fit in a Mets-Padres trade. Estrada came out of nowhere in 2024 with a massive breakout season. In 2025, he pitched 73 frames with a 3.45 ERA, 3.35 FIP, and 1.16 WHIP. While it was a step down from 2024, there were still many positives to come from his season. Estrada still punched out over a third of batters with a 35.5% K% with a respectable 8.9% walk rate. He was more prone to home runs and quality contact, with a 1.45 HR/9 and 9% barrel rate. But his 14.3% HR:FB ratio may indicate some poor luck on flyballs. Estrada improved in both Stuff+ and Location+, sitting at 108 and 111, respectively. The right-hander also had a sub-3.00 xERA (2.80) and SIERA (2.85).

Estrada could be a long-term piece of the Mets’ bullpen, as he is still an entire year away from arbitration. Although Estrada wasn’t the Padres’ closer, his 1.44 leverage index indicates he was not unfamiliar with pitching in higher-leverage situations. Estrada will also likely cost a lot less than Miller will. The Mets do not have a go-to set-up option behind recent free agent addition Devin Williams. Not only could he serve as the Mets’ 8th inning guy for next year, but for multiple years, and given he’s shown plenty of durability over the last two seasons, the Mets probably wouldn’t have to worry about massive injury risk.