3 Mets trade options for the bullpen to avoid at all costs

You have a list of relief pitchers you want the New York Mets to trade for. What about the ones you’d prefer them to avoid?

It’s an even longer list of players to avoid. If your ERA is higher than Andre the Giant’s billed weight, you can stay put.

There’s something to like about each of these potential Mets trade candidates. However, with limited spots available, David Stearns is better off putting his resources towards someone else.

1) Michael Kopech

An immaculate inning in relief for the Chicago White Sox had Michael Kopech in the news recently. An accomplishment that will go forgotten in their franchise for another 100 years, he’s a player on the White Sox roster who has gone in the opposite direction than Garrett Crochet. While Crochet is on the rise after transforming from a reliever to a starter, Kopech has gone from being an average starting pitcher in 2022 to a closer in 2024. Things haven’t gone too smoothly.

Kopech is 2-8 with a 5.18 ERA in 40 innings of work. Striking out more than 12 batters per 9 innings isn’t enough to make him a consideration for the Mets when he’s allowing as many runs as he is and with over 5 walks per 9 innings to go with it.

The appeal of Kopech is an extra year of control through 2025. Lower cost on the payroll and the potential of what he can be with another season under his belt will have teams considering him. He has nasty stuff, but the results just haven’t been there this year.

Kopech’s wildness is the biggest turn-off as it has been a plague on the Mets pitching staff in 2024 with the players they already have. Look elsewhere for a controllable reliever even if the cost is higher.