After a rough start to the 2024 MLB season that hit its low point when one of its relievers chastised the team in a post-game interview, the New York Mets have rebounded admirably. In fact, they are currently in pole position in the NL Wild Card standings with a 55-48 record. This now makes them a buying club prior to the MLB trade deadline.
The Mets, according to reports, are looking to add a left-handed bat to give their lineup some more depth and quality production. To that end, they have engaged the San Francisco Giants on a potential trade with Michael Conforto, opening up the possibility of a homecoming for the 31-year-old left fielder, per Mike Puma of the New York Post.
The Giants are currently 49-55, and they are six games out of the third Wild Card spot, which means that the most reasonable course of action for them is to sell off veterans that have limited future value to help replenish the farm system. Conforto is likely to change teams prior to the deadline, since his contract worth $18 million is set to expire at the end of the season.
Conforto would help a Mets lineup that's currently dealing with a few injuries. Starling Marte and Harrison Bader, two everyday outfielders, are on the mend with a knee and ankle injury, respectively, forcing Jeff McNeil, a second baseman by trade, to play some right field.
Michael Conforto set for a Mets homecoming?
It was the Mets that drafted Michael Conforto back in 2014, taking him 10th overall. Conforto progressed nicely for the Mets, emerging as a reliable bat for the squad that made it all the way to the World Series in 2015.
The best years of Conforto's career came with the Mets; he has two separate seasons worth 4.2 WAR (per Fangraphs), and he hit .255/.356/.468 in 2,551 career-at bats with New York. He blended power and rock-solid plate vision, hitting 131 home runs and drawing 361 walks from 2015 to 2021.
The main issue that has plagued Conforto's career has been injuries. He ended up missing the entirety of the 2022 season due to a shoulder issue, and it was the Giants who sought to revive the left fielder's career. Conforto hasn't been able to recapture the same heights he reached with the Mets in San Francisco, however.
Conforto's OPS was at .718 last season, and his production in 2024 hasn't been better, as he's currently slashing .226/.298/.415 to go along with 10 home runs and 40 runs batted in. But perhaps reuniting with the Mets would breathe new life into his career.
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