3 NY Mets players under contract the team needs to shop in a trade

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At 50-55, the New York Mets don't seem to be making the playoffs this season after winning 101 the year before with a Wild Card berth as well. The Mets and many baseball experts for sure did not see this season coming as this team had World Series aspirations and are now looking to be more like sellers than buyers as the trade deadline looms.

The Mets already made some significant moves by trading away David Robertson and Max Scherzer and we are still waiting to see whether or not they decide to move other players like Tommy Pham, Mark Canha and even Justin Verlander after New York signed him to an $86 million deal last December. But if the Mets do see themselves as sellers, maybe they should look at some players who are under contract for multiple seasons in New York who are not having great years that they should trade. Which three Mets players under contract do they need to shop by Tuesday's deadline?

1. The Mets need to trade reliever Drew Smith

After having a great year out of the bullpen in 2022, pitching to an ERA just over three in 44 appearances, it looked like Drew Smith finally found his way in the major leagues after a rough couple of seasons. Now, with his struggles in 2023 and the Mets falling more and more out of the playoff picture, the Mets are better off moving on from Drew Smith at the trading deadline.

While he's not having a terrible year, he's still been a bit a inconsistent with an ERA of 4.04 and already giving up 16 earned runs after only giving up 17 all of last year. I think if the Mets want to make a change out of the bullpen and have a clean slate, moving Smith who's under team control next as well should happen. He just does not seem like an ideal fit for the Mets in their 'pen and I think moving on from him and putting Smith in a better situation makes the most sense.

2. The Mets need to trade catcher Omar Narváez

The Mets brought in the veteran catcher, Omar Naráez primarily as a starter after signing him to a two-year deal with his backup being Tomas Nido giving Francisco Alvarez time to develop in the minor leagues. But after an injury early in the season that saw him miss significant time, it would make the most sense for the Mets to move Narvaez to a contender where he can get more playing time.

Ever since Alvarez got the call-up in Narváez's place, he has not missed a beat and has put up historic numbers in his first full season in the majors. And due to his amazing play both offensively and on defense, we have barely seen Narvaez in the Mets lineup. The Mets thought that by signing him to that contract, he would play for most if not all of the season. Now with his limited playing time this year, only having 47 at-bats, the Mets should really think about moving him.

Again, the Mets don't seem like they're postseason-bound, and with Narváez not seeing much action in the Mets lineup, why keep him? You probably won't get much in return for the 2019 All-Star, but I just don't see why they should keep him with Alvarez looking more and more every day as a star in the making. You also got a decent backup you call back up in Tomas Nido who's great reliability on defense, and a promising prospect in Kevin Parada that keeps improving. I think moving on from Omar Narváez is the right decision to make.

3. The Mets need to trade reliever Adam Ottavino

This move seems unlikely, but if the Mets are indeed going to sell the rest of the season, holding onto a reliever like Adam Ottavino does not make any sense. Don't get me wrong, Ottavino is a really great pitcher to rely on in the Mets bullpen and had a great season in 2022, but with the way his season is going this year and how the Mets season as a whole is going as well, why not trade Adam Ottavino?

I know that he's not having a bad season, but Ottavino is 37 years old, and if the Mets want to reshape their farm system like general manager Billy Eppler said in a press conference Sunday afternoon, I truly believe if the Mets do decide to move on from Ottavino to a contender, you would get a nice return in prospects most likely.

With Ottavino having another year left on his current deal, a deal might be complicated but if a team is willing to make a move on the veteran reliever and they give the Mets a fair trade offer full of great prospects, if I'm in Billy Eppler's shoe's, it's a trade I should not refuse. The Mets have a lot of ground to make up in the NL Wild Card and it does not seem like a run is going to happen, so what's the point of holding onto Ottavino?

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