Mets trade deadline targets: 3 prospect positions to focus on for a better farm system

Your summer plans hopefully include a trip to the beach, a small road trip, and maybe some evenings in the backyard. The New York Mets have different plans. Destined to be trade deadline sellers, our focus has sadly already turned away from the present and over to the future.

Although they’ve made the playoffs once in the last seven seasons, the Mets have regularly found themselves buying instead of selling mid-year. They sold in 2017 and 2018 and not again until 2023. Two years of selling followed by a couple of buying? I suppose we can accept this.

When the Mets field offers for their veteran players, their focus should be on three primary positions. David Stearns shouldn’t necessarily say “no” to adding another shortstop or catching prospect, but if they want to create a more balanced farm system, it’s these three positions we’d love to see them target.

1) Mets need more third base options in the future

Neither Brett Baty nor Mark Vientos seem like the solution the Mets want at third base. If only they were one player rather than two. Baty has improved drastically as a defensive player while Vientos is carrying the load at the plate. Unfortunately, this type of platoon doesn’t work. As a result, the Mets should seek out other third base options for their future.

As crowded as some positions may be getting on the farm system with all of their shortstops already moving away from the position over to second base and even the outfield, they don’t really have many true third basemen. Plenty of guys could eventually move over to the hot corner. Colin Houck, Jesus Baez, and more are destined for a change of some kind as long as Francisco Lindor is around.

We shouldn’t expect the Mets to land any big time third base prospect. It’s not even where many of the top prospects play. This is more of a transitional spot for guys who didn’t quite make the cut as a shortstop. Maybe they were too tall for second base. Maybe their range just wasn’t good enough at a professional level to stay at a position they excelled at in college or high school.

Third base is often a shallow position in the majors with only half the times having anyone well-rounded enough to stick. In search of stability at this position in the post-David Wright years, adding even a lower-level or ranked third baseman to the organization is necessary.

3) Mets can still benefit from more outfielders in the pipeline

The Mets have quite a few outfielders already in the farm system. Plus, with Brandon Nimmo locked up long-term, there’s on less spot available. It’s easy to plug in a bunch of the current Mets prospects into the other two outfield spots. However, with Luisangel Acuna or Jett Williams probably more bound to play second base, Drew Gilbert is far and away the only outfield prospect who seems like a sure thing to have a major league roster spot in the next year.

The Mets have given away far too many outfield prospects in trades. Jarred Kelenic. Pete Crow-Armstrong. The former has developed into more of a platoon player while the latter remains a Four-A player working his way into a major league role. It wouldn’t hurt to have either back even in their current buffering mode.

There are more than enough second base options for the Mets already present. First base? Let’s leave that for a proven MLB hitter whether it’s Pete Alonso or someone else. There is rarely a need to add a first base prospect in a trade. This is a final resting place for players who originally had a different position to land.

If the Mets come away from the trade deadline with a third base prospect, an outfielder, and a whole bunch of pitching, we’ll be satisfied. Of course, the talent level matters much more.