Let's Make a Deal! Can The Brewers Trade For Some Mets Players?

Over the last couple of days and weeks, we have even looked at teams that may be trade partners for the Brewers. If you’d like to read any of those, scroll to the bottom of this article.

In this next team, we will look at a team with a familiar face within the organization. No, we aren’t talking about the Cubs. They’ll never trade with Milwaukee. Let’s discuss the potential trade suitor of the David Stearns-led New York Mets.

New York Mets: (29-37) 4^th place in the NL East
It wasn’t too long ago that owner Steven Cohen opened up the checkbook and brought in superstar talent. In the 2020 offseason, the New York Mets signed James McCann and traded for star shortstop Francisco Lindor, eventually signing him to a 10-year extension prior to Opening Day. In 2021, the Metropolitans signed the likes of Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar, and Max Scherzer, building up their star power.

As if that wasn’t enough, the club extended Brandon Nimmo, brought back Edwin Diaz, signed superstar Justin Verlander, and signed Adam Ottavino and Kodai Senga, spending a massive $430 million in salaries.

However, this quickly became proof that not all World Series championships can be bought. The team was slowly getting sold off after falling into the middle of the NL East standings and not keeping up with their division rivals, the Braves and the Phillies.

Escobar was traded to the Angels, David Robertson to Miami, Scherzer to the Rangers, reuniting him with Jacob deGrom, and Verlander back to Houston. There was also a Mark Canha trade with the Milwaukee Brewers.

After finishing fourth in the NL East, the Mets looked to bounce back and get back in the race for the next season. However, as it stands so far, it’s not looking too good.

Why Would They Sell?
After bringing in Luis Severino, Jorge Lopez, and Joey Wendle, the club made another trade with the Brewers, bringing in Adrian Houser and Tyrone Taylor. The Mets brought Ottavino back and signed Harrison Bader to a deal, hoping it would be enough to get back in the race.

The Mets are in a weird situation. They are currently 16.5 games back in the division; however, they are only 3.5 back from the third Wild Card spot, with seven teams ahead of them for the one spot. It could be argued that without the hitting they currently have, the Mets could be well out of the playoff race.

Even so, the Mets rank in the middle of the pack when it comes to average (14^th), OPS (14^th), and runs scored (15^th). That doesn’t bode well for a team in the bottom half of the league in pitching.

Luis Severino is currently the only regular starter with a below 3.50 ERA. On the other hand, Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana need some help. Senga is trying to return from injuries, including shoulder capsule strains and triceps issues. He probably won’t be back until after the All-Star Break, if at all.

Even their bullpen doesn’t feel the same. Remember Diaz? The one that came out to Tommy Trumpets? He lost his closer role earlier this season. He just got off the injured list and is expected to get it back. Lopez was doing okay until he spiked his glove to the ground and was designated for assignment shortly after. Also, shield your eyes from Ottavino’s 5.55 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. At least his FIP is at 3.52.

With Pete Alonso in his final year before getting a payday in free agency, they should be trying to compete. However, it might be best to sell him now, get a haul, and try to sign him back in free agency. You know Cohen will put out checks that he could cash.

Why Are They Trade Partners?
GM Matt Arnold and David Stearns have negotiated a few deals before. Stearns might have buyer’s remorse on the Houser/Taylor deal, but it’s too early to tell. Who’s to say they won’t do the tango again if the price is right?

There is the argument that the Brewers need pitching and that asking for a player on a team ranked 22nd in ERA is weird. But with the number of pitchers dropping like flies, they might need to make a move to finish the season.

Back-end starters would be the way to go if they don’t want to sell the likes of Jacob Misiorowski, Brock Wilken, or even Sal Frelick. The stock in starting pitching everywhere keeps going up, with pitchers having season-ending injuries.

While a position player isn’t a need, the designated hitter role seems wishy-washy. The Crew has used William Contreras, Rhys Hoskins, and Gary Sanchez in that role. But that leads to Jake Bauers getting some time at first. It’s not entirely an issue, but the career .209 batting average and 93 OPS+ might be concerning.

I’m not saying the Brewers should go out and grab Alonso, but there are some expiring contracts that they could be interested in.

Brewers Trade Targets
All the speculation now centers around Pete Alonso. Will they trade him? Will they extend him? This has been the topic of conversation since the 2023 offseason.

To be honest, we don’t know how much they are willing to sell. However, if we are to believe MLB Analyst Jim Bowden of The Athletic, there’s a chance Alonso, Severino, and J.D. Martinez can all be on the go.

If we want to even take it a step further, Bob Nightengale of USA Today says the Mets just might sell Manaea. But would the Brewers truly be interested in any of these potential players?

Severino would be the ideal grab in a trade with the Mets. With a 3.25 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP, who wouldn’t want to add an arm like that to an injury plagued rotation. At the same time though would the Brewers be willing to move higher end prospects for a one-year rental.

If the Crew want a south paw in the rotation, maybe adding Manaea would be a decent option. Sure, he doesn’t have as great of stats as Severino, but at this point, the Brewers could use anyone for the rotation. A career 4.11 ERA, 4.03 FIP and 1.23 WHIP would be a decent back end rotational guy. Like current Brewers Jakob Junis and DL Hall, he has flexibility to work both the rotation and the bullpen.

Unlike Severino, he has a $13.5 million player option for the 2025 season should he decide to exercise it. The extra year of control does give him a little more value, but it shouldn’t be as expensive as some of the other available arms out there.

While the Brewers seem more than set on bats and positional players, Martinez could provide a nice upgrade in the DH spot. Of the Boras clients who held out a good chunk of the offseason, Martinez is one of the more affective ones. In just 40 games, he’s slashing a .265/.323/.430 line with five home runs and 19 RBI. The six time all star would be a perfect mid-season addition to the Brewers speedy lineup.

Yes, I will still address the possibility of adding the Mets home run hitting slugger in Alonso. Even Bowden suggested it in one of his recent stories with The Athletic. This wouldn’t exactly make a platoon at first base, but he would be a decent upgrade over what they have in Bauers. If you are hoping for that type of upgrade in the lineup, this will cost a fortune.

Back in 2018, Manny Machado was traded for 5 prospects, one of which was a Top 100 prospect. A few years later, the Cubs traded the likes of Kris Bryant and Javier Baez for prospects in the receiving teams top 30 prospects. If we look at a more recent trade, Juan Soto was traded along with Trent Grisham for MLB ready players as well as a top pitching prospect now part of MLB Pipelines top 100 prospects.

With that logic in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Mets ask for one of our top 100 prospects in Misiorowski, Tyler Black or Jeferson Quero. Not only that, the organization would likely have to put in MLB experienced talent like Garrett Mitchell, Joey Weimer, or Sal Frelick. Even so, that STILL might not be enough.

With that in mind, don’t expect the Brewers to buy 2024 all star talent. It’s really going to depend how much the organization is willing to give up. Their best chances at a deal with the Mets is Manaea or Martinez. They’ll drum up a deal at some point but will it be a deal with the Mets remains to be seen. We’ll know for sure as we get closer to the deadline.

Are the Mets a great trade partner? What other players would you like to see moved in a potential Mets-Brewers deal? What other selling teams could strike a deal with the Brewers? Let us know in the comments.

White Sox: 

Marlins: 

Blue Jays: 

Angels: 

Rockies: