3 trade deadline sweepstakes the Mets should avoid

2) NY Mets should avoid the Willson Contreras trade deadline sweepstakes

Pivoting to a trade for Willson Contreras makes sense only if two things happen. First, the Mets need to be sure James McCann will be out for the rest of the year or close to it. Secondly, they need to get him at a bargain.

Trading for a catcher midseason is always a risk. Having never worked with the Mets pitching staff aside from Trevor Williams briefly, there’s a huge learning curve that would need to take place in the middle of a pennant race. Contreras isn’t a bad defensive catcher but he’s also not a brilliant one either. Too much could go wrong.

One possible to scenario could be to use Contreras regularly as a DH and give him occasional starts behind the plate. This isn’t all that appealing. Because the Chicago Cubs would probably rather just try to continue their relationship with him or receive draft pick compensation if he leaves in free agency, it would be foolish of them to lower their asking price to such outrageously low levels.

Chicago is in a strange position with one of the best catchers in baseball being obviously available and so few fits aside from the St. Louis Cardinals—their biggest nemesis aside from the World Series until 2016. The Mets will probably only be able to add one big bat at the trade deadline. It doesn’t need to be at the catch spot. Load up elsewhere, then let’s go!