5 under-the-radar position players the Mets should target before the trade deadline

NY Mets under the radar trade target: Kole Calhoun

Calhoun has been one of the more consistent players in baseball over the last decade, both on offense and defense.

Calhoun is slashing .221/.275/.389/.665 with 11 homers, 13 doubles, and 41 RBI’s. He has an OPS+ of 88. 

He is hitting the ball really well. He is in the 89th percentile in hard hit rate, 83rd percentile in average exit velo, 78th percentile in barrel rate, and 65tht percentile in xSLG. There is some swing-and-miss in his game (5th percentile in whiff rate, 12th percentile in strikeout rate), and he doesn’t really walk (23rd percentile in walk rate), but the power is worth it in a smaller role.

Calhoun has seen most of his time in right field, but he can play left too. He has a 1 DRS in left and a -3 in right, but 0 OAA in both. So he’s basically average in both corners. He also has a couple of innings in center, but there certainly wouldn’t be an expectation of him playing there much, if at all, in Queens.

The Rangers have flirted with playoff contention, but they’ve fallen back a bit. They are now eight games below .500 at 41-49, and they’re 7.5 games back from the third wild card slot in the AL. Calhoun is 34 years old and on a one-year deal with a club option for 2023, so if they continue to fall, he is a trade candidate who won’t be too expensive.