The New York Mets are 46-33 entering play on Tuesday. They have lost their lead in the National League East to the Philadelphia Phillies and may need to be aggressive at the trade deadline to get it back.
The Mets’ bullpen has not been bad this year. They have a 3.29 ERA, but good relief pitchers are always a hot commodity at the trade deadline. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden proposed this trade that brings two Colorado Rockies relievers to Queens:
- Mets receive: RHP Jake Bird and RHP Seth Halvorsen
- Rockies receive: OF Drew Gilbert (Mets’ No. 9 prospect) and C/1B/OF Chris Suero (Mets No. 20 prospect)
“The Mets are going to be in a dogfight all season with the Phillies, and in their rear-view mirror, the Braves could start creeping closer and closer,” wrote Bowden. “To prevail in the NL East, the Mets need to improve their bullpen depth at the deadline. In this trade proposal, they would land the Rockies’ two best high-leverage relievers, Bird and Halvorsen. Bird has had the better season statistically (2.06 ERA in 33 appearances, 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings), but Halvorsen has more upside, and with the help of the Mets’ pitching and analytics departments, might develop into an impact closer in time. Bird, 29, is under team control through 2028; Halvorsen, 25, through 2030.”
Bird would be the headline player coming back to the Mets. He has been dominant this year and could be a staple of the bullpen for the next few seasons. Having an elite bullpen in October can be the difference between making the World Series and not.
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The club control associated with both Halvorsen and Bird is why the Mets would have to give up two top 30 prospects. Gilbert and Suero could become everyday position players for the Rockies, but Gilbert has a higher ceiling.
“In return, the Rockies get a future everyday outfielder in Gilbert, who can play all three outfield positions,” wrote Bowden. “He has 18- to 22-home run power and the ability to be a table-setter (.356 OBP in his minor-league career). The Mets acquired Gilbert from Houston two years ago in the Justin Verlander deadline trade. The 24-year-old has batted .230/.343/.376 this season, mostly at Triple A.”
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