New York Mets have pieces to deal as trade deadline looms

With several impending free agents on their roster, the New York Mets could make some moves ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.

Their crosstown rivals made a big splash last night, but we shouldn’t forget about the New York Mets as the trade deadline nears. They are admittedly in a much different position than the Yankees, who are looking to gain an edge in a crowded playoff race. The Mets, on the other hand, are a clear candidate to sell at 11.5 games out of a Wild Card spot.

But unlike other non-contending clubs aiming for full rebuilds, the Mets expect to compete again as soon as next year, when they hope their starting rotation will be (finally) spared from so many injuries. However, the team can still look to acquire some prospect capital in exchange for players on expiring contracts or those who don’t have much of a long-term future with the club.

Oddly enough, there were reports as recently as yesterday that the Mets had talked to the Yankees about first baseman Lucas Duda and reliever Addison Reed. The Bronx Bombers’ deal with the White Sox took care of those needs, but Duda and Reed should still attract interest elsewhere around the league.

Duda has had his injury problems, but he still packs plenty of pop (16 home runs in 67 games this season) and is a free agent at year’s end. Reed, another impending free agent, owns a 2.47 ERA and 1.053 WHIP in 43.2 innings of relief and has the chops to both close and set up.

According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Mets are also willing to throw in a little cash to move a couple of their other veterans if it means they get better prospects in return. Jay Bruce is still due to make $5 million of this season’s $13 million salary. The 30-year-old outfielder is putting together a strong season before he hits free agency, slashing .267/.333/.534 with 24 homers and 62 RBI. He’d be a good option for a team seeking some legitimate power.

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Several Mets infielders have been subject to trade rumors as well. Asdrubal Cabrera isn’t having a great season at the plate (.247/.333/.401) but he can play shortstop and second base and might interest someone as infield depth off the bench. Wilmer Flores has emerged as a potential new target of the Red Sox after they missed out on Todd Frazier. Flores is batting .278/.308/.443, comes with two more years of control and can easily move off third base when Boston is ready to promote Rafael Devers.

FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman mentions that infielder T.J. Rivera has been scouted by the Red Sox, too. The Bronx product is something of a late bloomer at age 28 in his second big league season, but he’s slashing .292/.337/.443 and under team control all the way through 2022. He also hit a hearty .353/.393/.516 at Triple-A last year.

Curtis Granderson probably won’t match last season’s 30 homers (he has 13 in 87 games), but his ability to pull the ball out of the park is well-known and could pique a club’s interest. As yet another free-agent-to-be, it would make sense for the Mets to see if they can get anything for the veteran outfielder.

Next: Midseason top 50 prospects: 21-30

This isn’t the season anyone at Citi Field expected, but general manager Sandy Alderson can still position the Mets well for 2018 and beyond by having a productive, if not exactly headline-grabbing, trade deadline.