5 Mets players whose trade value is increasing

The team's recent winning ways may have something to do with this.
Starling Marte is batting .405 over his last 12 games.
Starling Marte is batting .405 over his last 12 games. / Elsa/GettyImages
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4) Drew Smith

When the Mets bullpen was effective in April, Drew Smith was one of the reasons why it was so good. Prior to experiencing shoulder soreness on April 23, he had given up just one earned run in nine innings. Thanks to a more effective and refined cutter that has a Fangraphs Stuff+ rating of 152 (which ranks third in the majors), he has been able to mix up his repertoire to go after hitters more aggressively and induce soft contact. He has a 2.70 ERA so far this season and has gotten his team out of big-time jams.

Drew Smith missed six weeks earlier in the season due to shoulder soreness, but he returned two weeks ago and looked sharp overall in his four outings since. He struck out six of the ten batters he has faced while giving up just one run.

The Mets acquired Smith in the trade that sent Lucas Duda to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017 and it paid dividends like nobody thought it would, and it still is the case today. He has a career 3.47 ERA in 115 ERA+ in 192 innings. With many teams likely needing some relief help, Smith would be a nice addition for such a team, especially if they let him loose on a lethal fastball and cutter combination. And if the Mets can flip Smith for a good prospect, should they choose to trade him, it would be a win for David Stearns.