3 key trade deadline targets for Mets playoff success

The New York Mets have recorded an impressive 55 wins heading into the second half of the season. However, despite their success that gave them a stranglehold of the NL East lead for a majority of the year, the team has been wishy-washy as of late and has traded places with the Phillies on top of the division.

With the acquisition of outfield superstar Juan Soto ahead of this season, owner Steve Cohen and skipper Carlos Mendoza have only one goal in mind — bring the World Series trophy back to Queens for the first time since 1986. However, it's easier said than done as the Mets have been fallen short in multiple attempts to even reach the Fall Classic in recent years.

As the trade deadline approaches, eyes will be set on the NL East powerhouse in anticipation of the personnel moves they're going to make to get them over the line this postseason.

3 key trade deadline targets for Mets' postseason push

1) Mitch Keller, RHP

With the loss of Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning to injury along with some of the team's key bullpen arms, Pirates hurler Mitch Keller would be a great addition to the Mets squad who had been starved for stability in the bottom of the rotation.

Like Pirates ace Paul Skenes, Keller's 3-10 losing record doesn't fully reflect the year that he's been having for the lowly outfit. The latter has posted a 3.48 ERA across 20 starts this year and is currently tucked in the 93rd percentile when it comes to pitching run value.

2) Luis Robert Jr., OF

Chicago White Sox star Luis Robert Jr. has been the most prominent name amongst trade candidates this year given his contract situation and the dire state that his team has been in. The former All-Star has started slow this season, but has been slowly ramping up with a .333/.440/.667 slash with two homers and five RBIs in July.

With his prowess on both offense and defense, Robert can certainly revive his career in Queens surrounded by success-yearning teammates. Likewise, the Mets would benefit from having another star in their back pocket in hopes of making a World Series run.

3) Eugenio Suarez, 3B

With Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Juan Soto starring on top of the Mets' batting order, Eugenio Suarez's addition would further solidify and provide stability in the lineup come playoff time. Suarez has been one of the hottest hitters in the league as proven by his .889 OPS with 31 home runs and 78 RBIs.

Suarez's addition to the club would also see give them flexibility in deploying their other players to compensate for the lack of middle infielders in the team.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago