With Immediate Future Uncertain, the Mets Must Handle Trade Deadline Carefully
With the New York Mets trailing in a crowded National League Wild Card picture, the team’s status heading into the Trade Deadline is uncertain (Photo by Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)
With the MLB Trade Deadline under 10 days away, many teams will have to make decisions on whether to go all in or sell and regroup for next year. One of those teams at that crossroads is the New York Mets. Despite their high payroll, the team hasn’t been able to find consistent footing, boasting a record of 46-52 and sitting seven games out of a wild card spot.
While improbable runs to make the playoffs have happened before and will happen again, with the Mets’ struggles it’s anything but a guarantee. Considering their inability to find consistency, it may be fair to admit this year simply is not their year.
In their current state, buying doesn’t make the most sense since their playoff hopes are slim. However, the team’s core is still under control for another year and the likes of Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez have shown promise in bunches. With these pieces in check, selling goes against Steve Cohen’s goal of winning a World Series. As a result, with the Mets looking to rebound, it may be best to look at the Deadline as a chance to retool.
The Astros benefited from not gutting their roster at the deadline in 2016, as a trade for Yordan Alvarez with no other major moves helped to establish a dynasty (Photo by Kevin M. Cox, AP)
Various baseball empires had to struggle to reach the heights of being a powerhouse. Take the Houston Astros for example, a team that missed the playoffs the year before their World Series win in 2017. Despite their 2016 struggles, they stayed true to the core that made the playoffs the year prior, making a few minor trades that paid off in spades. While they only made minor trades, they found Yordan Alvarez from the Dodgers, who is now one of the best hitters in the game.
The Mets aren’t in a position to sell their core, but the likes of Tommy Pham, Mark Canha, and David Robertson present value for contenders. They won’t fetch tremendous returns and landing a Yordan-like prospect is far from a guarantee, but it’s a chance for the Mets to bolster their prospect pool and maybe find that diamond in the rough.
Players who are nearing the end of their contracts, such as outfielders Mark Canha and Tommy Pham, provide value to playoff contenders (Photo by Mike Stobe, Getty Images)
However, by the same token, if this year is merely a bump in the road, they may want to take steps to fix their current problems with controllable pieces. The issues are easy to identify in their bullpen and depth throughout the lineup. With these issues identified, perhaps they can use different pieces to acquire names that can replenish their MLB-calliber depth and help them contend next year. What those names are is to be determined, but softly retooling the depth can go a long way for their hopes next season.
As a result, this year is probably not the year they win the World Series, and the statuses of various big name players are in question. However, despite their setbacks, if they handle this deadline smart and retool, they can take steps to ensure that 2024 can be a step back to contending.