ATLANTA - The Mets could use some more offense.
While New York is 54-33, while holding a 2 1/2 game lead over the surging Braves in the NL East, who they beat in their series opener at Truist Park on Monday night behind Max Scherzer's gem, their bats have struggled mightily at the plate in recent weeks.
This is why general manager Billy Eppler and staff are surveying the market in search of another hitter ahead of the August 2 deadline.
Although Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras didn't initially appear to be a likely trade target for the Mets, given he is expected to be a high-cost rental, New York lost starting backstop James McCann to an oblique injury on Saturday, which will sideline him for several weeks.
As a result, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal believes history may wind up repeating itself.
Last year, the Mets lost shortstop Francisco Lindor to an oblique strain in mid-July, which ultimately led to the team making a trade with the Cubs for infielder Javier Baez. Now with McCann on the shelf, this could pave the way for the Mets to acquire Contreras in another deal with Chicago.
"The Cubs have a player that the Mets could want," Rosenthal told FOX Sports. "The Mets need offense.....something they're going to be seeking as well as a lefty reliever."
The Mets have received minimal offensive production at catcher and DH this season. By trading for Contreras, they'd be getting the best hitting backstop in baseball. Not to mention, the 30-year-old could serve as DH on a regular basis as well, considering Tomas Nido, and McCann (when healthy), are better defensive options.
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It's more so about the bat, as opposed to his defense. With Contreras splitting time between DH and catcher, the Mets would be eliminating one big hole in their lineup, while getting an impact hitter in the middle of their order: 2.8 bWAR, .867 OPS, 142 OPS+, 13 home runs, 35 RBI. This would also buy the organization additional time to develop top prospect catcher Francisco Alvarez, who was promoted to Triple A Syracuse on July 3.
As reported by Inside the Mets last week, the Mets have scouted Cubs closer David Robertson. Should the Mets decide to give up a top prospect to Chicago for the second straight year (Pete Crow-Armstrong for Baez and Trevor Williams in 2021), they could potentially address two holes at once by landing both Contreras and Robertson.
The Mets also like Baltimore Orioles' Trey Mancini and Washington Nationals' Josh Bell, but the Orioles are now back in the AL wild card race, while it's difficult to envision New York sending a top prospect to a division rival for Bell. This could increase the likelihood of a deal for Contreras.
Should things play out this way, history would indeed repeat itself, with an oblique injury leading to a trade between the Mets and Cubs at the deadline.
Read More:
- Max Scherzer Proving to be 'Difference Maker' for Mets
- Jacob deGrom to Make 3rd Rehab Start for Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday
- Mets' Pete Alonso Will Go for 3-Peat in Home Run Derby
Follow Pat Ragazzo on Twitter (@ragazzoreport), be sure to bookmark Inside The Mets and check back daily for news, analysis and more.
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July 12, 2022 at 08:36PM
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MLB Insider Likes Willson Contreras as Fit With New York Mets - Sports Illustrated
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