New York Mets trade deadline strategy just got very interesting

The New York Mets seemed to be a team that had everything with Carlos Correa in its lineup. Now, with the shocking news that Correa will not be playing for the Mets in 2023 and beyond after all, things just got a lot more interesting in Queens heading into the season.

New York Mets suddenly have a lineup hole to fill with Carlos Correa’s change of plans

With the news that Correa was signing with yet another team this offseason (the Minnesota Twins), the Mets suddenly aren’t as solid up and down the lineup as fans thought they would be just a few short hours ago. Take Correa out of the lineup and third base suddenly becomes the territory of Eduardo Escobar and Brett Baty. It’s a definite downswing from the visions of Correa manning the position, and it surely gives the Mets an idea already, even though it is months away, of how they can improve at the MLB trade deadline.

There are few if any options to make an impact still this offseason for the Mets, so Steve Cohen and company will have to wait to see exactly what needs to be done at the MLB trade deadline. Among those needs could be to find someone who was going to put the Mets over the top as Correa was expected to do.

Our friends at RisingApple.com projected this Mets lineup without Correa in the mix…

1. Brandon Nimmo
2. Starling Marte
3. Francisco Lindor
4. Pete Alonso
5. Jeff McNeil
6. Daniel Vogelbach
7. Mark Canha
8. Eduardo Escobar
9. Tomas Nido/Francisco Alvarez

Vogelbach at designated hitter and Escobar/Baty at third base are the positions that jump out immediately as one that the Mets will likely see how much improvement can be made.

Will New York be willing to trade away some of its high-ranking prospects in order to finally land the division title and go deeper in the postseason? There’s a lot of baseball to be played between now and the end of July/start of August when the trade deadline occurs, but if the Mets see a need, based on what they’ve done this offseason, you can expect they will be aggressive. And perhaps even more aggressive than they would have been had Correa signed his contract.

Of course, injuries and poor performance in other spots could push Cohen to spend in other places.  But it’s clear after an offseason where the wallet has been opened that the Mets will likely be chasing big names at the trade deadline, especially now that Correa is no longer a part of the plans.