Mets Monday Morning GM: The only 3 directions to go with the current core

3) NY Mets can keep the core together and add more long term pieces around it

Long term in the baseball world varies. For the sake of the Mets, let's accept four or five years. The team has a couple already under contract or team control for that span. They could really use more big leaguers whose free agency doesn’t come and go in a flash.

One spot the Mets should seriously consider an upgrade to the core is in the rotation. We can cross our fingers and hope some of those exciting pitching prospects in the minors tune out okay. Or the Mets can swing a deal.

It's not easy or cheap to afford a younger pitcher of the caliber the Mets need. Their abundance of infield prospects and even the growing population of outfielders can help create the type of package the Mets should go out and get. It’s getting crowded at the plate with some big holes on the mound.

Here's where the scouting becomes essential. The Mets need to find a guy on a bad team yet to reach his peak. Gerrit Cole and Joe Musgrove, oddly enough traded for one another, are two examples of Pittsburgh Pirates starters who took off after leaving the Steel City. Mitch Keller is probably the next.

Those young up-and-coming starting pitchers are costly. Worse is putting all of your hope into the farm system winning you a championship. Other than Senga, the Mets have gone after pitchers whose stay was short-lived. A trade and extension is the most practical approach. Don't rule out taking a chance on someone with talent who has yet to blossom. Often those trades end up favoring the team that gets the big leaguers over the prospects.