Top 10 Mets trade targets when the lockout ends

1. Mets trade target Jose Ramirez

The number one player the Mets should be looking to acquire is without question Jose Ramirez.

In the 2020 offseason, the Mets acquired Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco in a trade with this same franchise. Can they do it again? I hope so. Jose Ramirez is one of the top 10 best players in baseball and would take this Mets team to a whole other level.

Ramirez is set to make $12 million dollars this season and the Guardians have a team option for $14 million dollars for the 2023 season which they will surely pick up. They have shown that they do not want to pay their star players so for the same reason Lindor was traded, I believe Ramirez will be too.

If the Guardians trade Ramirez now, they will get more back for him. Lindor had a down year in 2021 but the Mets still look great in that trade because they really didn't have to give up all that much for the player they got in return since Lindor only had one year left on his deal.

From 2016-2021, Ramirez has slashed .286/.364/.531 with an average of 26 home runs and 83 RBI per season. His 135 OPS+ is among the leagues best in that span, and he does all of this while playing elite defense.

Ramirez is a three-time all-star, a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and has finished in the top six in the American League MVP balloting four times. He's a guy you can rely upon to hit 30 homers, 30 doubles, steal 20 bags, and hit close to .300 every year. Ramirez posted 7 OAA at third base which was in the 94th percentile according to baseball savant. He's as complete of a player as there is in the game.

Ramirez can step right in the middle of the Mets lineup and produce for a team that could use another impact bat. Kris Bryant is a free agent third baseman, but he's nowhere near as good as Ramirez on both sides of the ball.

Ramirez would cost a ton in a trade, but it will be worth it. I would try my hardest to hold onto Francisco Alvarez in a deal, but anybody else is up for grabs. Teams that go for it make these kinds of moves. The Nationals signed Max Scherzer even though they had one of the best rotations in the game. The Dodgers traded for Mookie Betts even though they had a loaded lineup, especially in the outfield.

Jose Ramirez would push the Mets from a team that I'm on the fence about making the playoffs to one that I would be shocked if they didn't get in. Once you get to the postseason, anything can happen. The Braves just won the World Series without their best player. It's all about getting to the postseason, Ramirez will do wonders for this team in getting them there. He is without a doubt the guy the Mets should try their hardest to acquire by any means necessary.