The 5 best Mets trade candidates and where they could end up

4) Best NY Mets trade candidate: Max Scherzer

Maybe MLB’s biggest “will they or won’t they” trade piece this summer, Max Scherzer has to be somewhere on this list even if the front office insists he’s not going anywhere and the chances of it are so slim. Nonetheless, the speculation is real and underwhelming as he has been, Scherzer can help out a lot of ball clubs.

Now 8-3 with a 4.31 ERA on the season, Scherzer has the kind of numbers you’d expect from a number four or five starter on an average team. Mad Max hasn’t finished a season with an ERA over 4.00 since 2011. In fact, if we exclude the 2020 season, he hasn’t even been over 3.00 since 2014.

Trading Scherzer will have its roadblocks due to his salary and the player option for next year. The Mets would have to absorb some of the money. Because of this, they’re probably actually better keeping him than getting a minimal return.

Only a small number of teams “can afford” to add Scherzer to their payroll. Although the Los Angeles Dodgers immediately come to mind, their NL West rival Arizona Diamondbacks are the team that should go all-in to get him.

Arizona is right there among the best in the league. They’re doing it without a complete rotation. Behind Zac Gallen and currently injured Merrill Kelly, there isn’t a whole lot in the rotation. The bullpen has been fantastic and the offense can hold their own.

Scherzer was originally drafted by the Diamondbacks and a reunion with them could push them ahead. It’s really only a matter of the front office having willingness to take on a part of his massive salary and accept what he could bring to the table next year. They’re already paying Madison Bumgarner to disappear. Could they be willing to do the same for Scherzer if things go south?

3) Best NY Mets trade candidate: Brooks Raley

A lot of teams will want Brooks Raley. Even the Tampa Bay Rays would probably take him back. The lefty reliever is off to a nice start with the Mets and with a player option for next season, likely on track to become a free agent.

Narrowing down the possibilities for Raley is much more difficult because how many bullpens couldn’t use another lefty reliever? One pitching staff beaten down this year who’d welcome Raley with open arms is one already mentioned in passing: the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Starting pitching might be a bigger priority for the Dodgers thanks mostly to the poor health of their staff. However, the bullpen hasn’t been so sharp either. Caleb Ferguson is their lone reliable lefty. Raley could be their second.

This year’s Dodgers roster doesn’t have the same forceful nature it usually does. The lineup does hit for power. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts are right there in the MVP race.

It’s the other side of the ball where they’ve struggled most. The Dodgers won’t do a thing unless they improve their pitching staff. Raley is just one of those targets for them to consider. They’ll get a close look at him this weekend when they visit Citi Field to take on the Mets.

2) Best NY Mets trade candidate: Tommy Pham

Who’d ever think that Tommy Pham would be such a great trade candidate? He’s one of the best in baseball. The injury that led to an early exit on Sunday is something to pay attention to but it’s not as if injured players never get moved. The New York Yankees acquired Harrison Bader last summer while he was on the IL.

Pham brings a lot of wonderful intangibles to the field. He’s gutsy, hits for some good power, and this year is playing like it means the end of his career. That may have actually been the case. He settled on a one-year deal with the Mets to become their fourth outfielder/right-handed DH. He has played his way into the starting lineup on a daily basis.

The Twins could target Pham instead of Canha. However, the club who should go after Pham a little harder is their biggest competition, the Cleveland Guardians.

Offense is something the Guardians don’t have much of. Power is especially limited. Only Josh Naylor (11) and Jose Ramirez (14) are at double digit home runs. Their three main outfielders have combined for only 7 home runs with center fielder Myles Straw giving them a goose egg.

Pham is a reasonably-priced asset the Guardians need. Capable of playing all three outfield positions and someone who can hit at the top or in the middle of the order, he meets many of their needs.

1) Best NY Mets trade candidate: David Robertson

There’s no place like home. There’s no such thing as too much bullpen help. Mets closer David Robertson is the club’s best trade candidate. He meets all of the criteria. He’s a rental making modest enough money and having a good year. Robertson’s experience as a closer and setup man make him especially valuable. Teams looking for either should consider him.

Robertson has been healthy this year and for the second straight year, he should swap uniforms mid-season. Last year it was going from the Chicago Cubs to the Philadelphia Phillies. Where could the Mets end up trading their Edwin Diaz replacement?

Considering a team is dead if they don’t have a closer, we should look at the clubs in most need of adding one among the serious contenders. While their ninth inning situation isn’t the worst with Will Smith taking over, it’s the Texas Rangers who mustn’t blow their year because of unreliable pitching in the ninth.

The Rangers are stacked offensively and have arguably the deepest rotation in baseball. There isn’t much they need to seek out at the trade deadline other than to add some finishing touches. Having already added Aroldis Chapman, they should be a team that goes out and makes a trade for Robertson.

As excellent as Robertson can be against lefties, he’s good against right-handed hitters, too. The Rangers already have enough southpaws in the bullpen between Smith, Chapman, and Brock Burke. A righty is a must.

If all the Rangers did at the trade deadline was acquire closers from other teams and roll the dice to see how things worked, they’d be in tip-top shape.