Sitting atop the NL East with a 53-45 record, the New York Mets head towards the July 30 trade deadline looking to shore some nagging problems in their bullpen, and trade rumors suggest that they could possibly trot out a big-name star at Citi Field next week.
Meanwhile, the 51-47 Yankees are parked squarely in the middle of the AL East, finding themselves 9.5 games behind their first place rival, the Boston Red Sox.
They do have hope for their season though, as they could potentially secure the second Wild Card spot and see a playoff berth. After snagging reliever Clay Holmes from the Pirates, the Bronx Bombers may look to continue the roster transformation ahead of Friday’s deadline.
Mets trade rumors
With Noah Syndergaard set to be a free agent at the end of the year, and the Mets looking to lean heavily on pitching for a potential postseason run, the team is “all over the map” looking for pitching help, according to SNY.
One often-mentioned target for the Mets is Pirates left-hander Tyler Anderson, according to Jon Heyman of SNY. With a 5-8 record and an 4.35 ERA, the last-place Pirates don’t have much value for Anderson, and the franchise finds themselves looking to salvage whatever assets they can in a season where they’re sure to miss the playoffs — making them a ripe trading partner.
Anderson would make a formidable partner alongside Cy Young-candidate Jacob deGrom, and add another weapon to the Mets’ bullpen, which has struggled since the crackdown of “sticky stuff.”
Perhaps more excitingly for Mets fans, there have been rumors of an in-division trade for Washington Nationals’ ace Max Scherzer, the three-time Cy Young Award-winner who will be a free agent at the end of the season. One major hurdle stands in the way, as Washington may be unwilling to send their star to a rival team that they will be forced to face multiple times each year.
Other potential targets for the Mets — who need both starting pitching, as well as relief help — include Kris Bryant and Javier Báez of the Cubs, Trevor Story of the Rockies, and Josh Donaldson of the Twins.
Most of the Amazins’ targets fall in line with a win-now mentality. Rather than looking to invest in young assets that will help bring wins to Queens in the long-term, General Manager Zack Scott is on the hunt for short-term rental players that can help them in a playoff run this season.
With the recent purchase of the team by billionaire Steve Cohen, the team’s front office has more wiggle room to take on other teams’ larger contracts, which the previous regime would have balked at.
Yankees trade rumors
Unlike the Mets, the Yankees have cast a wider net in terms of positions they’ll be looking to bolster this week.
MLB Network reported that the team had made an offer to Colorado that would land two-time all star Trevor Story — who boasts a .240 ERA — which would add a strong arm to Gerrit Cole and the recently-acquired reliever, Clay Holmes.
Another interesting target the Yanks are reportedly interested in pursuing is Starling Marte, the Pirates’ center fielder. With 7 home runs and 24 RBIs this season, the 32-year-old would add some much-needed slugging lineup.
The team is reportedly also interested in Twins right fielder Max Kepler, who would bring his .219 batting average to the Bronx, and would help with their lack of left-handed hitting.
The MLB trade deadline is Friday, July 30 at 4 p.m.
