New York Mets rumors: Could this interesting trade deadline strategy work?

It is clear that the New York Mets will have to do something at the upcoming MLB trade deadline in order to strengthen the team’s chances to reach the postseason. According to the latest rumors, owner Steve Cohen may have a very interesting idea on how to make potentially helpful trades to boost the bullpen.

New York Mets rumors: Could bad contracts be the key to the MLB trade deadline?

After a historic offseason spending spree, the New York Mets are lagging behind projections, entering Friday’s action with a 34-40 record, 14.0 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the race for the National League East. One of the issues for the Mets this season has been its pitching, with New York currently placing 27th out of 30 MLB clubs with a combined minus-3.3 bWAR from its pitchers.

It’s clear that is an area where the Mets must improve, and Andy Martino of SNY writes that the bullpen will likely be a focus for New York as the trade deadline approaches.

With that in mind, Martino quips that the Mets may take a creative approach at the trade deadline, offering to take on burdensome contracts for other players from other teams in order to help those teams deal their relievers to the Mets in the same package. For example, Martino gives the example of Patrick Corbin’s $24.4 million contract this season and the $35.4 million he is owed in 2024. If the Mets were willing to take that on, Martino writes that New York, “could offer to pay all of that in exchange for a reliever like Hunter Harvey, C.J. Edwards or Kyle Finnegan.”

Martino also mentions Josh Donaldson and Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees, Steven Matz of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Salvador Perez and Scott Barlow of the Kansas City Royals as potential “bad contract” targets for the Mets that could also bring in bullpen help from the respective teams as well.

If the Mets were to take on these contracts, it’s possible they would designate some of the players associated with them for assignment rather than trying to add them to the roster, Martino writes. Cohen and the Mets would likely be one of the few teams that could afford these kind of high-dollar moves, perhaps giving them a leg up on the competition when bidding for a bullpen arm.

In a year where Cohen’s wallet has made numerous headlines already, it sounds like it could once again be a difference-maker for the New Yok Mets at the MLB trade deadline.