The New York Mets must sell at the trade deadline. After a lost weekend against the San Francisco Giants, the Mets now stand at 45-54. Thoughts of winning their division are long gone although they are seven games out of a wild-card spot. However, there are eight teams ahead of them.
If anything was learned about this team this past weekend in San Francisco, it was the roster holes. Team defense is bad. The Mets are below average defensively with Wilson Ramos at catcher, Robinson Cano at second base, Amed Rosario at shortstop, and Michael Conforto at center field. In fact, the Mets have had ideas of making Rosario a centerfielder.
They have Dominic Smith in left field because of his bat. Smith is a natural first baseman and has not shown he can be a good defensive left fielder. Jeff McNeil is an infielder and he is playing right field. McNeil is leading the major leagues in batting average, and he has to play every day.
The Mets at the MLB Trade Deadline
The bullpen has been a mess all season long. It all falls on how this team was built by general manager Brodie Van Wagenen. The boasts of “come and get us” and “we are the team to beat” from Van Wagenen are hollow now. So the Mets need to be rebuilt by a man who failed to build them correctly. The fear amongst the Met fan base is knowing that Van Wagenen lacks the baseball smarts and experience to make the right trades to rebuild this team.
Zack Wheeler
Starting pitcher Zack Wheeler is a free agent at the end of the season. So he is a good candidate to get moved at the trade deadline. Wheeler’s second half of the 2018 season put him on the map with the rest of baseball. Despite a slow start, Wheeler’s last few starts were very good until he got roughed up against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Wheeler is currently on the injured list with shoulder fatigue and is due back on July 26th. However, it leaves only one start for the rest of baseball to see how healthy Wheeler is. Out of all the players the Mets have who will be free agents at the end of the season, Wheeler was by far the player who would fetch the most back in a trade. In typical Met luck it looks like that will not happen.
Todd Frazier
Todd Frazier is another free agent to be who the Mets must deal if only to let J.D. Davis play the rest of the season at third base. Frazier will not be resigned at the end of the season and the Mets need to see what Davis can do on an everyday basis. While Frazier is not a great player he can be useful for a team competing for a playoff spot. Frazier can hit for power but does little else offensively. Frazier can be streaky and carry a team for a week.
Also, Frazier is not a defensive liability. The price tag will not be high so it will not cost a top prospect. The best the Mets can get back for Frazier is a lower-level minor league player.
Jason Vargas
Jason Vargas has had a better year than most expected. In fact, Vargas is pitching to what his career average indicates. The 36-year-old left-handed pitcher does have minimal interest just because he is a lefty. Vargas is a five-inning pitcher, and it is evident early on in the game which pitcher you will be getting. He can also surprise and pitch great as he did in three straight starts from late May into early June. In those starts, he pitched 21 innings and gave up two runs which included a shutout against the Giants.
Vargas could be used as a starter or reliever by any team that would trade for him. But again this is a player the Mets won’t get anything significant back should he get traded. But still, it is the right thing to do because the Mets can move a young pitcher into the rotation and look towards the 2020 season.
Noah Syndergaard
Now Noah Syndergaard would be the crown jewel of this year’s trade deadline. Syndergaard would get the most back in a trade should the Mets decide to shop him. At 26 years old and under team control until after the 2021 season, Syndergaard would be coveted by all teams whether they are in contention or not. Syndergaard has great stuff and a rocket for an arm but has not been able to stay healthy or pitch consistently for a whole season.
The question for the Mets is not just do we want to trade Syndergaard but would it be smarter for us to wait until the offseason where every team can get involved. The Mets have said they are not shopping Syndergaard but that does not stop his name from coming up in trade rumors. Teams such as the Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, and even the crosstown New York Yankees have scouted Syndergaard’s latest starts.
The haul the Mets can get for Syndergaard could fill some of the holes the Mets have in their team. The Mets need a legitimate everyday centerfielder, a long term answer at catcher, young starting pitching and loads of help in the bullpen. In reality, the only two position players guaranteed a starting spot next year are Pete Alonso at first base and McNeil at a to be determined defensive position. So the Mets need help all over the diamond.
Looking Forward
The trade deadline is the time for Van Wagenen to make the necessary moves to build a contending team for a decade. The embattled general manager needs to convince management to not just sell off the free agents to be but get the best players back possible. Van Wagenen also needs to trust his scouting department to make the right calls on players coming back. There is a lot of work to do for the Mets and the training wheels are off of Van Wagenen. It’s now time to make the tough decisions.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
