Trade Deadline Action Plan: New York Mets

After focusing on the Detroit Tigers and then the San Francisco Giants yesterday, it is time to shift things back east and zoom in on the New York Mets. A few weeks ago, the Mets looked as though they could potentially be buyers and add to their 25-man roster between then and July 31st, but now it looks as though all bets are off and the team will end up being sellers.

However, the biggest question is: how far will the team go in stripping things down? No one knows the answer to that question because there really is no track record to go off of with rookie General Manager, Brodie Van Wagenen, at the helm. With that being said, it's a guarantee that the Mets will certainly sell off their pending free agents, but after that it becomes a big game of betting.

Therefore, the action plan steps outlined below might be a little farfetched depending on how the New York Mets front office brass currently sees the team as constructed, but we'll give it our best shot and encourage the front office to make a few splashes.

Here is how the Trade Deadline Action Plan should look for the New York Mets.

1. Make a Trade with the Tampa Bay Rays Involving Zack Wheeler - Zack Wheeler is going to be a guy that plenty of contending teams have interest in over the next few weeks and will definitely garner a lot of attention on the trade market. Contending teams know what they are getting with Wheeler and that is a guy that hasn't necessarily ever been dominant to the point of being a true ace, but a starting pitcher that has all of the stuff and the makings to be successful in the right environment and with the right team. Whatever team acquires Wheeler would only be getting a rental to allow them to make a run down the stretch and play deep into October, but that shouldn't stop any team with interest from dealing for him. The Houston Astros would be a fascinating fit not only because of their analytical approach, but also because there has been previous interest by Houston in Wheeler. Although the Astros will likely check in several times to see if a deal can be made, the New York Mets would be wise to make a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa Bay might not necessarily win the American League East because of the dominance of the New York Yankees, but if they advance past the American League Wild Card game, they are going to want additional starting pitching options beyond Blake Snell and Charlie Morton. In addition, the Rays have a very good farm system meaning that the Mets could net a Top 10 prospect from Tampa Bay or a middle, along with a lower level, prospect in return.

2. Gauge the Market for Interest in Todd Frazier - Todd Frazier is another guy that is set to hit free agency at the end of this season and it would be better for the New York Mets to attempt to get something in return for him instead of nothing at all. Therefore, the Mets will likely be active in trying to find Frazier a new home, but trying to identify an exact fit becomes more of a problem. When you start to survey potential contending teams that need help at third base, there really isn't a perfect fit. However, if you had to identify one fit, it could be the Texas Rangers who have a vacancy at third base. However, it would depend if the Texas Rangers want to go in and try to give their team the best shot to play deep into the playoffs this season or hold off. As we've already discussed before, the Texas Rangers are focused on next year as being the season when their window fully opens up in terms of contention, but they have arrived a year earlier than many anticipated and it might give them a legitimate reason to look for upgrades to their 25-man roster, as long as it involves deals that don't, sacrifice the long-term future of the organization. With Frazier, the Rangers could probably get him at an affordable price (mid-to-lower level prospect in return) and would be getting a veteran to help mentor the young players down the stretch.

Now that the pending free agents, that will net something significant in return have been identified and discussed about, the following moves are ones that may or may not happen depending on how deep the New York Mets elect to go in their selloff.

3. Trade Starting Pitcher Noah Syndergaard to the San Diego Padres - Dating back to last offseason, the San Diego Padres have been scouring the trade market for a controllable starting pitcher that they can add to the top of their starting rotation. The team has been said to have checked in on Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber of the Cleveland Indians and Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets the most. While none of us know what Brodie Van Wagenen will do, in this plan the team would essentially trade starting pitcher, Noah Syndergaard to the San Diego Padres, for a nice haul in return. As such, the team would not trade Jacob deGrom because they still need someone to anchor their starting rotation moving forward until the proper replacements can come up through their farm system. Syndergaard is the perfect guy for the San Diego Padres because he isn't scheduled to hit free agency until 2022 and he is right in the midst of his peak right now at 26 years old. Therefore, Syndergaard could anchor things down for San Diego, as they begin to enter their window of contention, but the price could be something that the Padres end up balking away from. For this proposed deal, the New York Mets would receive back three prospects from San Diego including: number 3 prospect RHP Luis Patino, number 11 prospect 3B Hudson Potts, and number 20 prospect RHP Andres Munoz. With Patino, the Mets would be getting a solid starting pitching prospect, while with Potts the Mets would be getting a significant power bat at third base and Andres Munoz would give the team their closer of the future.

4. Listen to Trade Offers on Closer Edwin Diaz - Heading into this season, one of the luxuries for the New York Mets was the fact that they essentially had two guys at the back of their bullpen that could close things out in right-handers, Jeurys Familia and Edwin Diaz. While that looked like a great plan on paper, it certainly hasn't worked out to this point and although Diaz is under control for three and 1/2 more seasons, the New York Mets might be wise to cash him in and see if a team gets desperate enough to overwhelm them with a nice return. Although Edwin Diaz has struggled so far this season (4.64 ERA over 33.0 IP), he is still doing great when it comes to strikeouts (14.73 K/9) and could very well be someone that benefits from not pitching in a market the size of New York. While Diaz might be more of an off-season trade candidate for the Mets when all 29 other teams in the major leagues can be involved, you never know when a contending team might get desperate and give up that one top prospect that the New York Mets didn't think they could get for Diaz. Therefore, there are several fits for Edwin Diaz with teams that have great farm systems and places where he would get away from the bright lights of New York including the: Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves, and Milwaukee Brewers. Sure, the Atlanta Braves play against the New York Mets in the National League East, but the Mets would be wise to go with the best offer they get for Edwin Diaz, even if he means they have to face him 19 times a season.

5. Listen to Trade Offers on Other Players That Could Net Something Big in Return - Again, it all depends on how much the New York Mets want to sell off, but when it comes to this category the New York Mets should be open and willing to listen to any other player that is outside of their core group of: Jacob deGrom, Pete Alonso, Amed Rosario, Dominic Smith, and Jeff McNeil. Yes, that means that if a team called about centerfielder, Michael Conforto, the Mets should be more than willing to listen. In addition, the Mets should be open to dealing guys from their bullpen such as: right-handers Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman. Both Lugo and Gsellman were big role players for the Mets last season and both could be guys that contending teams have been identified as potential bounceback candidates with the right coaching and game plans put into place. Either way, when it comes to this portion of the Action Plan, Brodie Van Wagenen & Company need to keep an open mind and continue focusing on building up the farm system, a system that still needs a lot of work, instead of focusing on just the present.