3 monster Mets trades to make if the Carlos Correa deal falls through

Who thought that after all of the Carlos Correa drama with the San Francisco Giants we’d see the New York Mets exactly where they were? Injury concerns have delayed ink on paper. Mets fans are now awaiting any update to see if he will indeed play for the team in 2023.

Nothing is sure yet with reports of a “55% chance” of the deal going through. If everything does fall apart, what do the Mets do?

Free agency won’t offer this ball club quite as many options as a trade. What kind of trade targets are out there for the Mets to explore as an alternative to signing Correa?

1) NY Mets can reignite the idea of trading for Rafael Devers

Rafael Devers is the obvious player to target in a trade. He’s a third baseman and someone everyone already expects to be on the trade block now and until he hits free agency after the 2023 season.

Devers has yet to get an extension and looks like he’ll be playing for a non-postseason Boston Red Sox club in 2023. Chaim Bloom, who has decimated the Red Sox since arriving in Beantown, might want to start thinking of his own alternative plans. If Devers is going to depart, trading him now to the Mets could be the biggest move they can make, too.

The Mets do have Brett Baty as the obvious piece the Red Sox would want in the deal. Several other strong prospects including Kevin Parada, Jett Williams, Ronny Mauricio, and Mark Vientos could also convince the Red Sox to trade their star third baseman.

It’s the most logical place for the Mets to pivot. Boston should at least pick up the phone. The two desperate ball clubs could help each other out.

2) NY Mets can look for upgrades outside of third base with a White Sox trade

Liam Hendriks was a name mentioned in previous Mets rumors as a trade target of theirs. One relief pitcher doesn’t quite make up for losing out on Correa. However, adding Eloy Jimenez in the package can definitely turn this deal into a greater blockbuster.

Jimenez is trending toward becoming a DH for the Chicago White Sox. On the Mets, it’s exactly where he would fit in. This would mean sending Daniel Vogelbach away as Jimenez is a much better fit as an everyday designated hitter than the right-handed part of a platoon. Vogelbach is already a strange fit for the Mets given his part-time role in an everyday lineup spot with defensive limitations.

In this kind of trade, the Mets would need to hold onto Brett Baty or Eduardo Escobar. Chicago might actually want Baty to headline the deal. He could be their starting third baseman next season or even a DH candidate while getting his big league defense bettered.

The idea of the White Sox even making Hendriks available in a trade is peculiar. What would they want in return? MLB-ready players would make logical sense. Unless the Mets are getting a bat in the deal or getting Hendriks as a steal, this doesn’t make up for losing Correa.