5 Mets trade deadline targets that have now become too expensive

Ty France is among the league leaders in contact hitting.

One of my takes during the offseason was that the Mets should’ve traded Jeff McNeil and replaced him with someone like Ty France. I was just done with McNeil’s horrible attitude and poor performance in 2021. Plus, even in McNeil’s prior good seasons, his metrics were terrible (and some still are this year). McNeil has been really good, and so has France, at least offensively.

France has been a thorn in the side of pitchers all season. He’s slashing .331/.401/.475/.876 with five homers, four doubles, 15 runs scored, 25 RBI’s, and an OPS+ of 165. He leads the league in plate appearances (158) and hits (46). 

His baseball savant page is an interesting mix of really good and really bad. His strikeout rate is in the 99th percentile, his xBA is in the 97th percentile, his whiff rate is in the 92st percentile, his xwOBA is in the 86th percentile, and his xSLG is in the 75th percentile. On the opposite end, his spring speed is in the 9th percentile, his OAA is in the 10th percentile, his barrel rate is in the 21st percentile, and his chase rate is in the 40th percentile. 

In summary, he’s hitting the ball really softly in the right places with almost no power, few strikeouts, fewer walks, no defense, and no speed. It’s an interesting mix of contact and discipline, without much else.

He’s become an important part of the Mariners’ lineup, and they’re a good team, as we just saw. They’re currently in third place in the AL West, but expect them to make moves at the deadline to get better and contend for a wild card spot.