As the New York Mets look to establish themselves as the favorites in the National League East, all eyes will soon be on the Jul. 31 trade deadline.
Obviously, the Mets have a strong overall roster, as their 37-22 record would indicate. But they could be one piece away from becoming National League front-runners, whether that’s an extra starting pitcher or one more key hitter.
As far as trade targets go, the expanded playoff format makes finding potential sellers more difficult than usual. But the Pittsburgh Pirates are one obvious team that won’t be a factor when it comes to the playoff chase.
Could the Mets go after an expensive Pirates star who Pittsburgh might want to shed from the payroll? It’s a worthy thought experiment, at least in the eyes of Mets on SI’s Grant Young.
On Sunday, Young named Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds as a potential Mets trade target, building off a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale that the Pirates would listen on trades for any players but Paul Skenes and Oneil Cruz.
“Bryan Reynolds would be a fascinating potential trade target for the Mets. While he has only played right field and DH for Pittsburgh this season, he was an above-average center fielder for them during the 2021 and 2022 campaigns,” Young wrote.
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“Reynolds is currently hitting .237 with a .683 OPS and 7 home runs on the year. While these aren’t great stats by any means, it likely means the Mets wouldn’t have to give up too much to bring him on board. And if he were to catch fire down the stretch, this investment could pay off tenfold.”
Reynolds is a two-time All-Star, but he hasn’t shown his offensive prowess on a ghastly Pirates team yet this season. And though Young thinks he could be an option in center field, his diminishing range and poor defensive metrics tend to disagree.
Buying low on Reynolds and absorbing the final 5 1/2 years of his contract has the potential to pay off, but eventually, the team holding the check will likely regret the last year or two of the deal. Whether the Mets are willing to risk being that team is up for debate.
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