SAN DIEGO — It’s tough to find many deficiencies in a team that’s won their last seven games, but with the trade deadline coming this week, the Mets have to be critical of what they have to determine whether or not they have enough firepower to get through October.
The Mets swept the San Francisco Giants on the road over the weekend, and the Yankees did their crosstown rivals a solid by beating the Philadelphia Phillies. As a result, the Mets now lead the NL East by 1.5 games over Philadelphia. The Giants dropped to 3.0 games behind the San Diego Padres for the third NL Wild Card spot, and the Mets open a three-game series against San Diego this week.
Thursday’s 6 p.m., ET deadline looming large. With that said, here’s what the Mets could be looking at this week.
WHAT THEY NEED: STRIKE-THROWING RELIEVER
If there is any lesson to be taken from the 2024 postseason, it’s that if you run out of reliable relievers, you could start to run out of gas. The circle of trust seemed to grow smaller and smaller with each round last fall, and by the time the Mets faced the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was too small to keep up. A potent Dodgers offense forced the Mets to use relievers outside of the high-leverage group and they were unable to keep the deficit low.
Gregory Soto was brought in this week to give the group another high-leverage lefty, and while there’s no doubt that he’s a weapon, he’s another reliever who often struggles to throw strikes. Strike-throwers are crucial during the postseason when nearly every pitch counts.
Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase would have fit that bill before the league put him on leave through Aug. 31 in connection with a sports betting investigation. However, Clase was a premier closer who would have no doubt come at a high cost — probably higher than the Mets would have liked to pay, so Pittsburgh’s David Bednar could be the winner.
A right-hander with a 2.4 walks-per-nine innings rate and a 2.19 ERA this season, there are questions about Bednar given his early-season struggles and his 2024 season. He recorded an NL-best 39 saves in 2023, but last year he posted a 5.77 ERA with only 23, and he was demoted to Triple-A in April.
Since returning, he’s returned to old form. Bednar appears to be a middle-of-the-road relief candidate, who won’t cost as much as someone like Minnesota closer Jhoan Duran, but now that Clase is off the market, it could drive up the price for Bednar.
Right-hander Paul Blackburn (shoulder impingement) will return to the Mets in the coming days and likely be used out of the bullpen while staying stretched out as a starter. While he isn’t a high-leverage reliever, he provides insulation for the four starting pitchers on restrictive counts. With a low career walk rate, the Mets may decide Soto was enough of a bullpen addition and look to add elsewhere instead.
WHAT THEY COULD USE: CENTER FIELD HELP
It’s unclear if they plan to look for a center fielder or not. President of baseball operations David Stearns said he doesn’t think the lineup necessarily needs another bat, and he’s happy with how manager Carlos Mendoza has handled the playing time split between the light-hitting Tyrone Taylor and super utility man Jeff McNeil.
“I think it’s two skill sets that complement each other, so I’m comfortable with that,” Stearns said over the weekend in San Francisco. “Like with the rest of the team, certainly we’re going to explore areas of upgrades and that’s one of them.”
Taylor provides elite defense, while McNeil, the 2022 NL batting champ, provides power at the plate. McNeil enjoys being moved around the diamond, but realistically, he’s probably the best everyday second baseman on the roster. Luisangel Acuña has not shown an ability to hit consistently, and Brett Baty, while certainly proficient at the position, is not a not a natural middle infielder. Using McNeil as the primary center fielder would mean the Mets would have to continue rotating their young infielders at second, third and DH, Acuña, Baty, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio.
This doesn’t seem to be a problem for the Mets.
“It’ll play itself out,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “We continue to take it one day at a time. We continue to help these guys with their development. We’ll find playing time for them. We’re not worried about what’s going to happen two or three weeks down the road. I think it’s just more like, what do we need to do to put those guys in a position to help us win a baseball game today?”
The club has been connected to center fielders Luis Robert Jr. and Harrison Bader, though it’s not known if there is any legitimate interest in either. Bader didn’t produce the way the Mets had hoped last season, but he’s an elite defender and a right-handed bat with relatively even splits against right- and left-handed pitchers. Robert, however, has a .966 OPS against left-handed pitching.
WHO IS SAFE
Center fielder Jose Siri (fractured tibia) is not close to a return, and neither is outfielder/DH Jesse Winker (lower back inflammation). They’re having a pool party of sorts at the moment, doing water workouts as part of their rehab programs.
In the past, the Mets were reluctant to move prospects ranked within their top-20. However, last year, Stearns made it clear that no one is off the table if there is a trade he believes will give the team a better chance in the playoffs. Still, it’s fair to expect them to protect some of their top talent in Triple-A, especially since starting pitchers are finally starting to flow through the pipeline.
This includes right-handers Brandon Sproat, Blade Tidwell, Jonah Tong and Nolan McLean. On the position player side, Jett Williams, Ryan Clifford, Drew Gilbert and Double-A outfielder Carson Benge could all be safe.
WHO COULD GO
While it wouldn’t be surprising if a few members of the big league roster departed, the Mets seem to mostly be targeting players they could get for some A-ball pitchers, and maybe a Double-A guy or two. It’s tough to know if the Mets would be open to dealing Acuña, Baty, Vientos or Mauricio, though a few of them have been inquired about by other teams. The Mets’ decision to have Baty learn second base might have accidentally increased his trade value, though he still has yet to produce offense at the big-league level consistently.
Vientos has regressed defensively at third base, and he hasn’t been able to follow up on his 27-homer season this year, but the Mets see signs of a turnaround, and he’s carrying a six-game hitting streak into San Diego. He’s either playing his way back into a job, or he’s peaking at the right time to get traded.
Mauricio seems untouchable right now, especially after a four-hit game Sunday in San Francisco. Acuña has use with his speed.
The wild card might be outfielder/DH Starling Marte. He missed time when a knee injury from last season flared up before the All-Star break, but even after he returned he still kept hitting. Over his last six games, he’s gone 13-for-22 (.591) with four doubles, an RBI, a stolen base, two walks and a 1.398 OPS. He’s had at least two hits in each of those six games.
A veteran right-handed hitter, he would like to be an everyday outfielder again, but is also providing the Mets with an offensive spark at DH.
“He’s been in this league for a long time and had success, so he knows that there are going to be stretches where it’s like, ‘Man, I’m feeling it, but I’ve got to keep going,’” Mendoza said of Marte. “You hate to put guys on the IL, especially, guys that have that type of impact. So I’m just glad he’s back healthy and performing.”
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