The New York Mets are loaded with talent, especially with Juan Soto finding his stride this year. The lineup in Queens dominates on a regular basis, while the pitching staff has been inconsistent at best.
The Mets will likely turn to the trade market to find the upgrades they need. This season, there are expected to be a lot of talented arms on the market, and it would be surprising if the Mets didn’t land one or two of them.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan recently suggested the Mets’ biggest weakness was their pitching depth and listed Arizona Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen as the “best match” in a potential trade this season.
“The Mets started 45-24 on the strength of their starting pitching. With a 2.79 ERA that was nearly a quarter-run better than the second-best rotation, they cut the figure of a juggernaut,” Passan wrote. “Since June 13, their starters’ 5.61 ERA is worse than every team in baseball aside from Washington. And if your starters are getting compared to those of the Nationals, something went haywire.
“Gallen has looked more like his old self in recent starts, and if his home run rate stabilizes — typically one per nine, it has jumped to 1.6 — alongside a perilously low strand rate normalizing, he can shake off the 5.15 ERA and be a real difference-maker for the Mets before hitting free agency after the season. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns doesn’t, as a general rule, spend big on pitching.”
Gallen has struggled this season, but the talent is still there. While his season ERA is still over 5.00, he’s worth positive WAR and has looked great his last two times on the mound.
This month, Gallen has made two starts, accounting for 13 innings while allowing just one earned run. If he can continue to trend in this direction, the Mets could acquire him and place him at the top of their rotation down the stretch.
More MLB: Mets Called Potential Landing Spot In Trade For $5 Million Flamethrower
The post MLB Insider Lists $13.5 Million All-Star As Mets ‘Best Match’ In Trade appeared first on Newsweek.
