Mets don’t need to be “all in” at the trade deadline but must be “all hands on deck” thereafter

Unless there’s some kind of lucid dream that tells David Stearns otherwise, we can expect the New York Mets to fill cracks on the roster rather than rebuild the model. Smaller moves in the bullpen and on the bench is what the Mets will focus on. 

It’s fair to believe they won’t be “all in” at the trade deadline. What they should be internally is “all hands on deck.”

This means some bold decisions with minor league players. It means using everybody possible to win as many games as possible and go deep into the postseason.

The Mets have prospects they shouldn’t hesitate to turn to for some help

Luisangel Acuna is the obvious player to ask some help from. He absolutely must be on the roster before the season ends. He had a minor league option used up before he even got to the Mets. The second of three was utilized to send him to the minor leagues out of camp. Why not use his speed off the bench in September?

No other offensive player makes quite as much sense although if Drew Gilbert was to get hot, pushing him to the major leagues later this year isn’t a ridiculous notion. Depending on what the Mets do at the trade deadline and the health of Starling Marte, they could have a greater need for an outfielder.

The big and bold move would be to summon Brandon Sproat from the minor leagues to pitch in relief for the club. In just his first professional season, Sproat has earned the opportunity to accelerate from the minors to the majors. Unlikely to stick as a mainstay in the bullpen, those latter innings he may pitch this season carry much more weight in the majors rather than in the minors against Double-A players.

Beyond those three, the Mets don’t have any spectacular prospects who could answer the call for some major help. Luke Ritter is certainly worth consideration. If any of the Triple-A starting pitchers were to go on a hot streak suddenly, they could join the mix to be relief pitcher options. Dom Hamel and Mike Vasil are Rule 5 Draft eligible this winter and adding them to the 40-man roster might already be necessary.

This wasn’t a year where the Mets planned to push Christian Scott beyond his limitations or trade a pair of top prospects for a rental star. They won’t get a chance to do the former any longer. 

It’ll be a trade deadline featuring some tinkering and a final two months where they need to consider all options available.