The New York Mets were far from dormant at the 2022 MLB trade deadline. They added three new bats and a bullpen arm, giving them a deeper roster as they look to claim the National League pennant.
However, the Mets left a lot to be desired at the deadline. The quintet of Tyler Naquin, Daniel Vogelbach, Darin Ruf, Mychal Givens and Michael Perez is a solid collection of players to add. But the Mets were in a position to do more than just ‘”solid” before the homestretch of the season rolls around.
There were tons of rumors about what the Mets could do at the deadline. They were in the mix for Juan Soto before he went to the San Diego Padres and were in on a number of other players like Willson Contreras. Ultimately, they added a few new players but none that is expected to be a big difference maker. They had the chance to add such a player, though.
1 MLB trade deadline move Mets should have made
Trade for Andrew Chafin or Willson Contreras
Take your pick of which player the Mets should have traded for. Either Detroit Tigers reliever Andrew Chafin or Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras would have been a fantastic addition. Although it would have been nice for the Mets to trade for both players, it also might have cost them a whole lot for potentially two rentals. Chafin has a player option after this season while Contreras is set to hit free agency.
Taking that risk twice would have been a lot to ask of a front office. But taking one is a very reasonable expectation. Billy Eppler, Sandy Alderson and the NYM front office chose not to. The Mets were reportedly operating from a position of PSTD after their 2021 trade deadline move that sent Pete Crow-Armstrong to the Cubs for Javier Baez, who left in free agency last offseason, and Trevor Williams, who has a 3.38 ERA in 58.2 innings this season.
Crow-Armstrong is a very promising prospect but he is not even in AA yet. New York has other top-100 prospects, including an outfielder, to give them a future. Championship pursuits always require risks to pull off. The Mets had two key needs at the trade deadline at catcher and in the bullpen. Neither area was seriously improved despite plenty of options being available.
The Mets' catchers are among the very worst hitting group of backstops in the league. The St. Louis Cardinals are the only other team to get a sub-.520 OPS from their catchers. Seeing such pitiful production should have been a wake-up call to add someone like Contreras, who was so sure he was going to get traded that he already said goodbye to his current team and fanbase.
Contreras is one of the best catchers this season at the plate. He has 15 home runs and an OPS of .833, both of which are among the best at his position. Giving such a fantastic bat to New York's offense would have transformed a very good unit into an outstanding one.
Having Francisco Alvarez soothes the uneasiness of not acquiring Contreras, though. The top prospect on MLB.com was absolutely raking in AA ball, is now up to the next level and could be called up to the big leagues to start next season. However, having Contreras would not undoubtedly block Alvarez. The veteran can transition to the designated hitter spot while taking Alvarez's off days behind the plate. Having too many good catchers is undoubtedly a better issue than having not enough, which is where New York is right now.
Meanwhile, the Mets could have really used a left-handed relief pitcher. Adding Givens is decent but New York could have used someone better and left-handed to balance out their relievers. Chafin checks the boxes. With a 2.38 ERA, 2.14 FIP and 41 strikeouts and 34.0 innings this season, he would have been a very solid addition to the Big Apple bullpen.
The Mets' bullpen is not a very deep one. Edwin Diaz's brilliance does a lot of heavy lifting and the team's solid starting rotation (now bolstered with the return of Jacob deGrom) should allow them to get by without an elite bullpen. New York, though, is quite far from that title.
Trying to rationalize either Chafin or Contreras not being a rental is certainly just a long round of the “What if?” game. Even if neither player had the intention to re-sign, either trade would have been worth it to give the Mets a better shot at the World Series. Teams in their position have no business playing it extra safe, especially with key players (deGrom and Max Scherzer) that are into the later years of their careers.
At the time of the Baez/Williams trade last year, New York was 55-48, which was just the fifth-best record in the National League. Their record ahead of this year's trade deadline was better by roughly 10 games and is the second best in the league. The Mets missed a big chance to get much, much better at the MLB trade deadline instead of just incrementally better in a season where they have legitimate title aspirations.
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