Predicting 5 Mets takes we will see on social media this summer

Summer will be here before we know it. What will New York Mets fans be talking about when it does arrive?

The first month of Mets baseball has gone about as well as anyone could have imagined. They are in first place and pushing to win a National League pennant.

Looking into the crystal ball to predict the future, these are five takes we can expect Mets fans to have this summer as we reach the halfway point of the season.

1) A cluster of Mets fans will want the team to trade a starting pitcher away

The Mets have a lot of quality starting pitching. Even in the absence of Jacob deGrom, their starting five have been elite.

What happens when deGrom returns? A cluster of Mets fans will want the team to trade away one of the arms. Others will know better.

How the Mets end up handling this is unknown. What’s important is that they don’t subtract too much from their roster. Murphy’s Law tells us the moment they do trade away a starting pitcher is the same day they lose one to a major injury.

Fans love trades; whether they’re logical or not. I understand why. There’s a certain excitement playing general manager at home and looking for ways to improve a roster. It’s a part of the game we all enjoy playing from our couches with a Baseball-Reference page wide open.

Illogical trades are unfortunately a part of this game we all play. That’s not to say trading away a starting pitcher is completely impossible for the Mets. It’s just not a take I would agree with. It’s definitely one on its way.

3) Mets fans will demand Francisco Alvarez is called up to the big leagues

It has already started in some regards. James McCann isn’t hitting well. Tomas Nido is doing his typical thing of hitting poorly but gaining favor with the starting pitching staff. It’s a strange situation behind the plate for the Mets. McCann is signed for two more years after this to a pretty expensive deal. Nido is out of minor league options which means they would have to DFA him in order to demote him to the minor leagues.

Many Mets fans are looking toward the future and see Francisco Alvarez as the savior behind the dish. A terrific hitter who still needs to work on his defense, he’s fast-tracking to the major leagues and should, at the latest, see some big league plate appearances by 2023.

This year might be a bit of a stretch. Still in Double-A, the Mets do risk rushing him too soon. Possibly the best hitting catcher within the organization already, this organization doesn’t seem to strike me as one that would DFA Nido when he’s a favorite of Max Scherzer.

The more Alvarez hits in the minors, the more fans will try fast-forwarding him to the show. This season may not feature one of those midseason promotions like so many others have. This will not stop fans from hoping.

4) Who will Mets fans want to DFA this summer with Robinson Cano gone?

Robinson Cano is gone which means Mets fans now need to find someone new to designate for assignment. Who will it be?

If Trevor Williams makes it to the summer, he’s the obvious guy. Going back to the previous point, if Alvarez is making minor league pitchers consider a career change, McCann will be the guy—as unlikely as it is.

Fans wanting to DFA players is about as American as apple pie and baseball. It’s inevitable in every season. No team is built perfectly enough to go a full year without someone getting DFA’d.

Other candidates could always include Travis Jankowski and Joely Rodriguez. Some fans were prepared to DFA Rodriguez after only a small number of appearances this season. Jankowski, on the other hand, has earned more trust than most people expected he ever could.

Adam Ottavino is also yet another guy on a big league contract we could see fans turn against. Through the first month of the season, he has been unhittable or a complete disaster on the mound. There has been very little in between. He is, after all, a major league relief pitchers. It’s typically what happens.

Someone will become the summer’s top DFA candidate. With a roster made up of many players out of minor league options, every member of the 40-man roster is probably going to feel the wrath of at least one fanatic.

5) The Mets need to trade for an All-Star bat

Rising Apple’s John Flynn already knows what the Mets will be seeking at this year’s trade deadline—and I agree. It’s a bullpen arm and a power bat. The bullpen arm is something every contender will be searching for at the deadline. The power bat is a little different.

Hitting home runs has not been a strength of the first place Mets early on this year. Even Pete Alonso has slowed down the number of times he has rewarded fans in the bleachers with souvenirs. Other than him, only Francisco Lindor and Eduardo Escobar appear even capable of hitting 30 dingers.

An All-Star power bat added to the roster can help change things drastically. Unless Dominic Smith and J.D. Davis looks fully capable of handling the DH spot, the Mets will have a need and room to add to the roster. A power bat that can possibly play the outfield, too, may make the most sense. A lot of fans haven’t bought into Mark Canha yet. With injuries likely to happen along the way, we can make an early guess as to what fans will desire most for the Mets at this year’s trade deadline.

A big powerful stick on an expiring contract might be exactly what the fans holler for at the trade deadline. If certain Mets fans are especially lucky, the team will trade one of the starting pitchers for a power bat while including McCann in the deal to help make the possibility of promoting Alvarez far more likely.