3 reasons the Mets should be taken seriously as World Series contenders

2) The Mets have prospect reinforcements we could see late in the year

If there’s one hesitation on my part to say the Mets don’t have what it takes to contend this year it’s the doubts about how far David Stearns is willing to go at the trade deadline. They were cautious in the offseason to trade away prospects. I don’t think they’d go the extra proverbial mile to make sure they land the best possible player this summer if the cost is too steep. This is far from an all-or-nothing season for the Mets.

They do have a solid backup plan. The timing of the MLB arrival for several of the organization’s better prospects could work out well. Rather than trade away youngsters, might the Mets look to promote several in the middle of the year?

On the pitching side of things, Christian Scott seems like the surest option to join the rotation if the need came about. Even as a multi-inning reliever for a couple of weeks or months could pay off for them.

At the plate, the Mets still have Mark Vientos demolishing baseballs in Triple-A. No longer technically a prospect, they could also turn to a player such as Luisangel Acuna for a part-time role to be a pair of legs off the bench. Acuna’s presence on the 40-man roster already should have him with the big league club no later than September 1 to pinch run.

Other names to watch include Drew Gilbert and Nate Lavender as well as anybody else in Triple-A. Let’s not discount the guys down in Double-A either. Someone, even a guy currently not on the radar, could always make that leap.