It wasn't supposed to be a good year for the New York Mets. And a third of the way through the year, it looked like an awful year. But…here we are!
After a torrid month fueled by Grimace, Candelita, and a bunch of really good baseball players reverting to their career norms, the Mets are somehow back in control of their Wild Card destiny. They're 48-45 after falling to 22-33 on May 29, the infamous date when Jorge López chucked his glove into the Citi Field stands.
Now that the Mets are looking more like buyers than sellers, the discourse in Queens is shifting to what the team realistically needs at the trade deadline to do some damage in October. And the list is pretty simple: pitching, pitching, and more pitching.
But since we're into fun here, perhaps we'll toss a position player in the ranks of trade candidates to consider. Without further ado, here are the three sneakiest, highest-upside Mets trade deadline targets for the 2024 season!
Mets should consider adding Angels' Tyler Anderson
Before the season, it looked like Tyler Anderson was doomed to live out his three-year contract on a hapless Los Angeles Angels team that had just lost Shohei Ohtani. But all he's done this season is put up an ERA under three, rack up wins above replacement (he's up to 4.2 already!) and, hopefully, earn himself the right to be dealt to a contender.
Perhaps Anderson, in spite of his All-Star status, isn't the most exciting possible trade candidate. But this isn't the most exciting trade deadline for starting pitching.
Competition is going to be stiff for Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet, and he might not be able to continue working as a starter. Same goes for Detroit Tigers strikeout artist Jack Flaherty, who is also a free agent at the end of this season.
If the Mets are going to buy, they have to do so consciously, with 2025 in mind. Anderson is under contract for next season, and can be flipped in an offseason trade if the Mets want to save money to go after high-priced free agents. And with 112 innings pitched already on the season, Anderson would be a huge aid to the Mets' overworked bullpen.
New York should dip into the Athletics' bullpen
It should only be addressed after adding to the starting rotation, but the Mets also could use another power arm at the back end of the bullpen. The Mets' bullpen has mostly avoided disaster this season, but with a 1.34 WHIP, ranking 23rd in the majors, they've had to throw a lot of high-stress pitches.
It probably doesn't make sense to go after another closer, with Mason Miller's price tag seemingly astronomical and Tanner Scott heading to free agency after the season. But the Oakland Athletics have another righty in their bullpen that fits just about everything the Mets need at the moment.
Lucas Erceg, the current A's setup man, has all the makings of a deadline steal. With so much focus on Miller, the flame-throwing Erceg could fly under some teams' radar. But he throws 100 miles per hour and has a 2.94 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 33.2 innings of work.
With five years of team control remaining, Erceg's value will never be higher. The A's, a team with a nonexistent budget and no young stars for their future fans in Las Vegas to gravitate towards, need to grab all the prospects they can at this deadline. That means Erceg should be available, and the Mets should be the team to win the auction.
Mets need a better lefty bench bat
Though the Mets may not have a perfect lineup, it's probably as good now as it's going to get for the rest of the season. Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor have started carrying the top of the order like they're being paid to do, while Pete Alonso still needs to kick into gear. But there's room for improvement towards the bottom of the depth chart.
Jeff McNeil, who somehow is still playing just about every game, has been one of the ten worst hitters in Major League Baseball this year. DJ Stewart, the only lefty on the bench most nights, is batting a cool .168. Which means at the end of games, when facing tough righty relievers, the Mets really have no one trustworthy to turn to in a pinch-hit scenario.
There don't seem to be a ton of options available that fit that description at this trade deadline, but one intriguing name is the Washington Nationals' Jesse Winker. Winker may well have some teams looking to use him as a starter, but he's not much of a defender in the outfield, so he's going to have to justify all his value with the bat.
And though that bat has been very good, Winker's past two dreadful seasons might be enough to throw some fringe contenders off his scent. Plus, Winker has a .973 career OPS as a substitute, so he's exactly the pinch-hit weapon Carlos Mendoza needs to make a second-half push.
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