There’s nobody on the New York Mets who envisioned their 2023 season going like this. They are stuck in fourth place in the National League East and ninth in the Wild Card standings. The team is closer to the worst record in the National League than they are to a playoff spot. It’s just mind-boggling for a team that won 101 games last year and mostly brought back the same squad. With that, the Mets are now headed towards being open for business at this year’s trade deadline after Eduardo Escobar got dealt. It’s hard to fathom that a team with so much expectation and talent will be sellers, but here we are.
Who Else Could the Mets Move at the Trade Deadline?
The thing about the Mets is they have players that are on short-term deals who can be moved. These are talented players who can help a contender in the process. Some will be free agents at the end of the season, like Escobar was going to be. Let’s take a look at some members of this roster the Mets could possibly deal away at the trade deadline.
Mark Canha
The right-handed, contact-hitting Mark Canha was brought in by the Mets from the Oakland Athletics on a two-year deal last offseason. Canha was very solid in 2022, notching 123 hits and 13 home runs while batting .266. He played 140 games as an everyday left fielder. This year though, Canha struggled out of the gate, and he’s been relegated to a fourth outfielder at times. Another factor is Ronny Mauricio, who has been playing in the outfield in the Minor Leagues at Triple-A. At some point, Mauricio will get the call-up, and a Canha trade would open the door for his arrival. A team could certainly use a right-handed bat who can play good defense and can come off the bench, and Canha would fit the bill.
Tommy Pham
After the Mets lost out on Carlos Correa, the team had to go back to the drawing board. New York looked and found Tommy Pham. He isn’t Correa, but he can hit. Pham however, struggled the first month of the year, batting .196. Since then, Pham has been on fire, batting .280 and slugging at .523. He has five home runs and 22 RBI in that span.
Tommy Pham in the month of June (49 AB):
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 20, 2023
🔸 .327 AVG
🔸 4 HR
🔸 14 RBI
🔸 1.040 OPS
🔸 10 XBH pic.twitter.com/1DVKTa0nDc
.@TphamLV gets us on the board! pic.twitter.com/1Dtz3hlsm4
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 15, 2023
With the way Pham has been hitting the last two months, he’ll be sure to draw a lot of interest as we head closer to the deadline.
Daniel Vogelbach
Vogelbach’s 2023 season has been met with constant criticism and a lot of boos from Mets fans. The thing with Vogelbach is he isn’t a bad player at all. He’s got a good eye at the plate and can hit for contact. It was hard to watch as he struggled mightily, batting .216 with only 24 hits and slugging .297 through June 7th. There was nobody harder on his struggles than Vogelbach himself. You can tell just by watching him. From June 8th to June 15th, the Mets and manager Buck Showalter gave Vogelbach a mental health break and during that time Vogelbach worked with hitting coach Jeremy Barnes and assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske. Vogelbach returned to the lineup on June 16th, and he’s looked much better. He’s hit two home runs and knocked in seven runs on seven hits, batting .333 and slugging .667.
VogelBOOM 💥 pic.twitter.com/nK7tWEwAJu
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 17, 2023
Teams are always on the lookout for a big left-handed slugger and if Vogelbach keeps hitting, he could have a new home.
David Robertson
When the Mets signed David Robertson to a one-year deal in the offseason, he was viewed as a setup man for closer Edwin Díaz. It made a lot of sense with Robertson, free agent signing Brooks Raley, and Adam Ottavino giving the ball to Díaz late in games. Unfortunately, a freak injury struck the Mets All-Star closer during the World Baseball Classic. Puerto Rico defeated the Dominican Republic and during the celebration, Díaz hurt his knee and tore his patellar tendon. There is optimism that he could be back by September, but in the meantime, Robertson was asked to close, and he’s been sensational. Robertson has 11 saves this season, striking out 4o batters in 32 innings pitched with a 1.64 ERA. Robertson is a steady player out of the bullpen, and relievers are always a high commodity at the trade deadline.
Photo Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Players Mentioned: Eduardo Escobar, Mark Canha, Ronny Mauricio, Tommy Pham, Carlos Correa, Daniel Vogelbach, David Robertson, Edwin Díaz, Brooks Raley, Adam Ottavino
Managers Mentioned: Buck Showalter
