The New York Mets are set up to be buyers at the MLB trade deadline. They could target outfield help as they gear up for another deep October run.
The Mets have had Tyrone Taylor as their primary centerfielder. However, his OPS is just .633, and he has just one home run. Earlier this week, ESPN’s Jeff Passan named Cedric Mullins as a potential fit for the Mets at the trade deadline.
“Mullins has been one of the Orioles’ lone bright spots this season, and as solid as Tyrone Taylor has been in center, Mullins’ bat is significantly better and his glove, though admittedly lesser than Taylor’s, is perfectly acceptable,” wrote Passan. “Let Mullins bat for the first seven innings, put Taylor in for defensive purposes in the eighth and a Mets team with championship aspirations gets that much better.”
Mullins will be a free agent after the season. His batting average is not much better than Taylor’s, but his OPS is .771, and he has 10 home runs. Jim Riley recently proposed this trade that would get Mullins to Queens:
- Mets receive: OF Cedric Mullins
- Orioles receive: IF Marco Vargas and RHP Dom Hamel
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Trading two top 30 prospects for half a season of Mullins is a steep price. However, the Mets have the money to keep Mullins around if they like what they see out of him in a Mets uniform.
He is set to earn a four-year, $56 million deal in free agency, according to Spotrac. He was an All-Star and a Silver Slugger in 2021. He has hit 89 home runs since the start of 2021 and has the potential to take the Mets’ offense to the next level. Sooner or later, Juan Soto is going to start playing like himself again, and having a bat like Mullins around when that happens would help the Mets’ World Series chances.
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