3 teams that may bid with the NY Mets for needs at the trade deadline

1 of 3

We are only six days away from the Major League Baseball trade deadline, and the New York Mets are part of the bunch of teams that will be buyers ahead of Tuesday, August 2.

But what about the rest of the league? There are teams out there that share the same needs as the Mets, whether it is bullpen help, improving the catcher situation in the wake of the James McCann injury, acquiring an impact bat needed for the playoffs. It is all there for the Mets to potentially get into some interesting bidding wars with fellow contending teams.

The Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers may duke it out for relief pitching.

Since June 1, the Mets bullpen has ranked ninth among the 30 teams in reliever ERA. The Dodgers are 11th. The Mets and Dodgers both need help strengthening their bullpens in time for the playoffs, as it has become the weakest point on both clubs over the past two months. Each bullpen has been overall okay, but if the Mets and Dodgers will indeed see each other in October, it will become a battle of attrition when it comes to their pitching.

Now, the Mets will have the biggest strength of any contender in any singular area in their front-end starting pitching come October, but the Dodgers have had better starting pitching than anyone else in baseball this season. The Dodgers bullpen needs at least one quality arm to deepen their pen as they’ve been decimated by long-term injuries, with Daniel Hudson and Brusdar Graterol hitting the shelves over the past four weeks.

The Dodgers have used 20 pitchers in relief since June 1, and that creates too much instability. Acquiring a reliever will lessen the instability, and since the Mets need a reliever too (they have been talking about David Robertson from the Cubs recently), the Dodgers’ brass needs to consider some of the same targets the Mets have.

If the Mets are serious about acquiring a star catcher, the Houston Astros will be tough to beat out (do not forget about Josh Bell too).

We know the Mets have issues at the catcher position with James McCann on the injured list and the lack of offensive production from Tomas Nido and Patrick Mazeika behind the plate. The Astros have a similar problem, as their catchers have combined to bat just .159 this season and have a –0.7 WAR, which are both the lowest in the majors.

Willson Contreras of the Cubs makes a lot of sense for a team like the Astros, who would instantly be an upgrade offensively and would take the Astros offense to a different level. The Astros rank 14th in MLB in runs scored and 18th in batting average. Plus, he would fit in to the Astros winning culture as a World Series champion himself.

Sean Murphy of the A’s can make sense too. Murphy has a 117 OPS+, with 11 home runs and a .245 batting average, so that would be an upgrade over what the Mets have right now, although it is not clear if the A’s fire sale allows them to trade within the division.

The Mets can do similar things too. If they don’t think James McCann is close to returning, they can always look to upgrade at other areas of need around the offense and hope Nido and Mazeika can match McCann’s level of run prevention value behind the plate.

Also, both teams are in the hunt for Nationals first baseman and designated hitter Josh Bell, and that could be a bidding war by itself.

The Milwaukee Brewers need any offense they can find for the playoffs, but they may need to outbid the Mets for J.D. Martinez.

The Brewers have made the playoffs each of the past four years, only winning a playoff series in one of them. The Brewers’ season came to a crashing close last season when they scored just six runs in a four game NLDS loss against the Braves, and knowing their vaunted pitching, they need someone who strokes fear into opposing pitchers. J.D. Martinez makes so much sense for the Brewers for that aspect.

But the Mets are among the teams that have inquired about J.D. Martinez in the past few days, and his bat would be dreamy in the Mets lineup, protecting Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso in the middle of that order for a few months.

The Brewers cannot declare the 2022 season a success in any way, shape, or form if they cannot reach the NLCS. First, they must fend off the Cardinals in a tight NL Central race and assure themselves of home field advantage in the Wild Card playoffs (remember this is the first year of expanded playoffs and the winner of their division will likely be the No. 3 seed in the playoffs). And the Cardinals could add Juan Soto at the trade deadline, so that may make the Brewers that much more desperate for help for their offense.

But the Mets do have a better farm system than Milwaukee’s, so if the Red Sox are asking for more, the Mets would be better off with the Red Sox’ asking price.

Dream Mets bullpen following the trade deadline. dark. Next

Home / New York Mets News