5 Mets roster questions to answer before the August 1 trade deadline

Where has the time gone? July is nearly over. It seems like only yesterday the New York Mets were dying in June. July began with a brief resurrection until reality bit.

The Mets aren’t good. They’re not going to go on an impossible run. They’re going to sell at the trade deadline. August 1 will be here before we know it and the front office needs to answer these five questions.

1) NY Mets roster question: Is the team better with or without Justin Verlander next year?

If the Mets are going to hit the reset button, trading Justin Verlander makes sense. Clear out some salary. Get something of value in return. Add two starting pitchers in the offseason with the money they’d pay Verlander.

It sounds easier than it actually would be. The optics of parting ways with him this quickly into year one of his deal won’t do the Mets any favors either. The organization remains unstable in the management department. Keeping a veteran like Verlander around can help create some semblance of familiarity within the organization while sending an outward message to free agents.

Verlander is 4-5 with a 3.47 ERA this season. These aren’t Verlander numbers. They’re passable for a mid-rotation arm which is something the Mets haven’t always had the easiest time at finding.

The upside of what Verlander can give the Mets next year is too important to think about before doing anything drastic with him. Three of his losses this year came in a Mets shutout where he went 5 innings and 3 earned runs or less. 

The question: Are the Mets a better team with or without Justin Verlander on the roster next year?

The answer: They’re better. Keep Justin Verlander because it’s no easy task to replace him even if his 2023 performance hasn’t met expectations.

2) NY Mets roster question: Is Brooks Raley expendable in a trade at any price?

The market for a player like Justin Verlander will be slim considering the amount of money involved. Brooks Raley, on the other hand, should have plenty of suitors. The lefty reliever has been brilliant out of the Mets bullpen this year. He has easily been their most valuable reliever next to David Robertson.

Raley has a team option for the 2024 campaign which should put him in line to return to a bullpen that needs an overhaul outside of a small number of pitchers. Just because he is an option for next year shouldn’t necessarily take him off the table for a trade.

The obvious con of trading Raley is the Mets will need to look to reacquire someone to take on his role next year. Billy Eppler has not been exceptional at building a bullpen. The Pope is also Catholic.

In favor of trading Raley is the fact that he could net the team one of the better returns. A serious contender with hopes of also winning in 2024 should be all over paying a little more to land Raley. Relief pitchers are completely unpredictable. Something about Eppler’s reign as the general manager should have us pondering if Raley will end up as another one of those one-year wonders.

The question: Is there a price the Mets can put on Brooks Raley?

The answer: There is and it’s going to need to be much higher than what they gave up to get him.

4) NY Mets roster question: Which prospects are on the MLB roster?

The Mets are probably going to subtract Mark Canha and Tommy Pham from the roster. The rest of the position players are likely to stay except for maybe our good friend, Daniel Vogelbach. There aren’t a whole lot of new spots opening up, but at-bats and innings to pitch will be more available.

Left field is the spot where we don’t need to see DJ Stewart anymore. It’s a spot where we could see Ronny Mauricio. Even Mark Vientos should get some repetitions there to open up the possibility of making him more useful.

There aren’t any obvious position players other than Mauricio who still need to make their MLB debut. A few pitchers, on the other hand, could be promotion candidates.

Mike Vasil is the pitching prospect closest to the majors. The 23-year-old righty has struggled in his 6 Triple-A starts, going 1-1 with a 6.94 ERA in 23.1 innings of work. He was much better in Double-A, going 1-2 with a 3.71 ERA spanning 10 starts.

The question: Which, if any, Mets prospects will be regulars for the remainder of the 2023 season?

The answer: Ronny Mauricio needs to play somewhere. Get some of those rookie jitters out of the way. Play him in left field. Start him at second base. Give him shortstop appearances and DH Francisco Lindor at times. Hold off on the pitchers. They’re not going to be ready for Opening Day 2024 anyway. Delay their free agency.

5) NY Mets roster question: What can be prepared for next season?

Aside from getting Ronny Mauricio some major league at-bats, there are a few items the Mets can prepare for next season. Something to consider is going with a six-man rotation. If they’re going to make a run at Shohei Ohtani, we mine as well see how the pitchers returning next season can handle the extra day of rest. Kodai Senga already prefers this schedule.

The six-man rotation through the end of the year, even if it’s not an idea they’re completely married to, would allow for another look at David Peterson, Tylor Megill, and maybe even Joey Lucchesi in the rotation. Those three remain a big mystery. In particular, Lucchesi has become a complete afterthought in the organization.

Once a team sells pieces at the trade deadline the focus is entirely on the following season. This involves every facet of the organization. Roster management, in-game decisions, and a focus on what’s next is what those final weeks become all about. For the 2023 Mets, it should include getting players like Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil back on track. Rest the ones who have been playing through injuries. Who else thinks there’s a couple of those?

The question: What actions will be taken to prepare for next season?

The answer: Everything. Try everything. Think outside of the box. Don’t waste a single at-bat on a player who isn’t in the plans for 2024.