The New York Mets have overcome an early-season malaise in a big way, and they currently find themselves right in the hunt for a playoff spot amid some congestion in the NL Wild Card picture. At present, the Mets own a 57-51 record, which currently has them just half a game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third wild card spot. The Mets then ended up being buyers prior to the trade deadline, acquiring Jesse Winker, Paul Blackburn, and a few relievers to bolster the roster in preparation for their push for a playoff spot.
The players the Mets acquired aren't exactly the most flashy, needle-moving names that were available on the trade market. They address areas of need, but there may have been other options they could have acquired that would have increased their playoff odds in a much more significant way.
Nonetheless, the Mets decided to play it a bit more safe at the trade deadline, intending to keep top prospects Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert, Ryan Clifford, Luisangel Acuna, Blake Tidwell, and Brandon Sproat, among others, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Heyman wrote that they “made sure” to have those players still in the system following the trade deadline, as they did not want to “mortgage the future” for rental relievers while being in the congested wild card bubble.
The Mets have thrown caution to the wind, particularly on the spending front, over the past few years and that blew up in their faces. It's not hard to see why they are erring on the side of caution, especially when they're not a surefire playoff team.
Will Mets' trade deadline acquisitions be enough?
The Mets reportedly showed interest in the likes of Tanner Scott, Carlos Estevez, Pete Fairbanks, and Kyle Finnegan to address their shaky bullpen, but in the end, the trade price for each of them proved to be far too rich for the Mets' taste.
Instead, the Mets traded for Huascar Brazoban, a 34-year-old reliever who is beginning to make a name for himself despite his age, Ryne Stanek, Tyler Zuber, and Phil Maton. This feels like more of a quantity over quality approach, but Brazoban has the stuff to be a shutdown reliever for the Mets during the late innings. Stanek is still a flamethrower; perhaps he could get back on track with the Mets.
The Mets also acquired Paul Blackburn for additional rotation stability, while Jesse Winker only serves to make an already-deep Mets lineup even deeper. But only time will tell if these acquisitions will be enough for them to make the postseason.
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