Mets Monday Morning GM: 3 surprise moves David Stearns could make before Opening Day

2) The Mets would surprise us by trading Drew Smith

The Mets bullpen is quite crowded. They have very little flexibility with the entire roster. Fortunately, Fujinami has options. But aside from him, the Mets will have a tough time managing their bullpen unless they make a subtraction.

Drew Smith is the reliever who could make the most sense to trade. The Mets were reportedly already shopping him prior to the non-tender deadline earlier in the offseason. Revisiting this idea is one way to clear out a roster spot for one of the newcomers and open a pathway for the Mets to more regularly use a six-man rotation every so often.

Rumors of the Mets trading Smith died down once they did tender him a contract. Then again, thoughts of the Brewers trading Burnes were nothing but fantasy or nightmare depending on who you root for.

The urgency to trade Smith isn’t presently there. Deals between teams can even happen in the last days of spring training or early part of the regular season. It’s rare but it happens. And would it be much of a shock if Stearns already has a plan with someone else if the two sides still like the move?

Any trade involving Smith would have to be for a minor leaguer or at least someone the Mets can option to the farm. Otherwise, it’s a bit pointless to do. Someone a little more controllable would be nice. 

The health of other relievers and what others show in camp will determine if Smith actually is traded before Opening Day. There’s no need to subtract him now. We need all of the arms we can get.