2022 Mets Trade Deadline Options Are Obvious

Starting Pitching

As has been the case all season, the Mets starting pitching did not disappoint. Over 23.1 innings pitched they gave up just three earned runs, good for a 1.17 ERA. On the whole this season, the team ranks fifth out of all thirty teams in both runs allowed per game and WHIP, both strong markers of a good pitching staff.

All of that has been accomplished sans the best pitcher in baseball. Given the current depth of solid options, it would seem unnecessary to make additions here with such clear needs at other positions.

The Offense

Unlike the consistently good pitching, the team has seemingly lived and died by its offense this year. With a hard-nosed, small-ball approach the newfangled Mets offense got off to a quick start in 2022. This was due in no small part to the reemergence of Jeff McNeil, creating a much deeper lineup with professional hitters like Mark Canha batting as low as seventh. However, the problem with this setup is that very reliance on lineup depth. While we all wait on Francisco Alvarez, the big league catchers just can’t hit at the major league level. The DH position, designed for more offense, hasn’t been much better with Dom Smith and J.D. Davis refusing to run with the opportunity. Combine this with the unpredictability of Eduardo Escobar and occasional injuries to Starling Marte and all of a sudden the lineup looks painfully thin.

Here’s the benefit of poor DH production: the Mets can essentially bring in the best hitter they can find and insert him into the lineup. Josh Bell seems like a perfect fit. He’s the best hitter available and is set to hit free agency this off-season, so he won’t cost the whole farm. Bell also comes with my serious home run power, which should help make this lineup more well-rounded. In addition, Bell has positional limitations, either slotting in at DH or playing subpar defense at first. This should limit his market but makes him a perfect candidate for the Mets.

The Bullpen

At this point, the Mets bullpen is essentially Edwin Diaz and seven guys you never want to see on the mound. Despite performing decently in terms of runs allowed, nearly all the Mets" key options have seriously concerning peripheral metrics. Drew Smith, an early-season rookie sensation who has now become the number three reliever, has a solid 3.38 but a 4.46 FIP. In addition, his hard hit rate allowed is in the bottom five percent of the league. Even the eye test indicates that Smith"s good ERA is buoyed by a whole lot of luck.

In games two and three in Chicago, the ‘pen narrowly escaped disaster against a bad team. In game four, they finally broke, with Smith allowing two runs in the bottom of the eighth. Adam Ottavino has been good, but has shown a tendency to lose control of his pitches; Seth Lugo looks like a shell of his former self; and Trevor May hasn"t been seen in months.

The good news again for the Mets front office is that bullpen help is consistently the easiest thing to find at the deadline. Eppler and company confoundingly missed out on the reliever market last winter, but they can"t afford to do so again. They should certainly be in on the top guys available, like David Robertson, or Michael Fulmer. It should also be a given that the front office will look to bring in several lower-tier arms in the hopes that pitching coach Jeremy Hefner can straighten one of them out. Combine one or two new members with Diaz, rookie upstart Colin Holderman, a returning Trevor May, and a potential bullpen move for Tylor Megill and/or David Peterson, and the Mets can turn a weakness into a serious strength.

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