5 Mets starting pitcher trade candidates to revisit at the 2022 trade deadline

Throughout the 2021-2022 offseason, there was always a thought the New York Mets would make a trade for a starting pitcher. They did add one this way. They managed to pick up Chris Bassitt in a deal with the Oakland Athletics.

The Mets now have a seemingly complete rotation when everyone is healthy. We’ve been fooled before, though. The baseball gods are tricksters who enjoy twisted ankles, sore shoulders, and the occasional pulled groin.

The Mets did enough at the start of the offseason to remove realistic possibilities of trading for a position player. They left us with a slew of starting pitchers we debated all winter long. At the 2022 trade deadline, these five would be worth revisiting.

The Mets have a new starting pitcher white whale and it’s Luis Castillo

It seems like until Luis Castillo has a long-term deal signed somewhere that he will be someone we’ll always contemplate as a potential member of the Mets. Trapped in literal baseball purgatory with the Cincinnati Reds who can’t decide if they’re trying to win or lose this year, he’s a free agent after next season and a guy we should expect to be among the top trade candidates until then.

Castillo has been regarded as one of the potential breakthrough starting pitchers for several seasons now. Pitching in Cincinnati hasn’t helped his cause. However, he has put together a fine career that may only get better.

On a level or two below guys like Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer, Castillo is among the top attainable trade pieces in baseball through trade when there’s more than a year left on his contract. This summer, with a season and a half until a final decision needs to be made, we should expect the Mets to revisit any previous talks they had with the Reds.

Unless the Reds surprise us all and become midseason buyers, expect plenty of July trade rumors about him and the Mets.

Tyler Mahle is the other Reds pitcher the Mets can revisit this summer

He’s “that other guy” on the Reds for the Mets to look at in the future. Younger than Castillo and possibly headed toward a better season in 2022, Tyler Mahle has put together two straight solid seasons with the Reds. His free agency just as close as Castillo’s, the Reds are going to need to decide at some point if they’re pushing the chips into the center of the table or trying to capitalize on all of these wonderful trade pieces.

Mahle could actually turn out to be a far more valuable piece to acquire. He won’t turn 28 until late September which makes him a guy to add then talk about a possible extension.

Before the Mets go selling the farm for anyone, they need to see what these guys can do in 2022. Mahle, perhaps more than anyone else on this list, will need to do a little more to prove himself.

At 26-31 with a 4.34 ERA in his career, there’s a lot more proving needed in order for any team to pay big prospects to acquire this youngish arm. I expect a full-fledged fire sale from Cincinnati this July. Along with Castillo, Mahle is a name to revisit. It could give the Mets an immediate replacement for Bassitt if he leaves in free agency.

Frankie Montas is the other remaining A’s pitcher for the Mets to revisit

Also somehow not traded by Oakland, Frankie Montas has the potential to hang around into the 2023 season. The tanking A’s aren’t required to trade him by the midseason deadline so the asking price may end up being a little too rich for some team’s prospect blood.

As the case is with any controllable pitcher, the Mets could always view Montas as a replacement for Bassitt if he walks after the season ends. The old switcheroo, acquire Marcus Stroman at the trade deadline when you’re going nowhere in order to replace Zack Wheeler who is a free agent after the season ends strategy.

Montas’ biggest issue in his big league career has been health. Coming into 2022, he has only a single season with over 100 innings pitched. This happened last year when he was awarded a sixth-place finish in the American League Cy Young race. About to enter his age 29 season, it’s time for Montas to showcase to the league what he’s capable of for more than a single season.

The main reasoning for acquiring Montas over someone like Manaea would be that extra year of control through 2023. The Mets will have a couple of rotation questions to answer in the following offseason. Adding Montas at the deadline to fill in for an underperformer or someone with an injury could help get thing started.

If the Sonny Gray trade doesn’t work out for the Twins, expect them to flip him again

Sonny Gray is the oldest and for many Mets fans the least appealing of the names on this list. I left him for last. It’s like when you eat a delicious meal then find out the only thing available for dessert is fruit.

Gray has a long track record in the big leagues. Even so, you don’t really know what you’ll get from him.

More slightly above average than anything at least at this point of his career, Gray’s contract is only guaranteed through this season with a $12 million team option for 2023. It’s not a bad contract at all for a pitcher-needy team to explore if he becomes available again. Most likely, the Mets would waive the team option and see what else is available in free agency even if it did ultimately lead back to a reunion with Gray.

What might be most unappealing about Gray to the Mets in a midseason trade scenario is his age. If starting pitching becomes a major need, they might feel more inclined to target a younger arm they know can stay healthy. The club already has some older arms. Adding one more with as many miles on it as his does might turn the deadline addition into a deadline dud of a move.