MMO Roundtable: How Should David Stearns Approach The Trade Deadline?

It may be hard to believe, but the trade deadline will be here before we know it. We can’t help but think of how the season has gone so far (and we don’t need to harp on that right now). We’ve been having this discussion at MMO and wanted to share our thoughts with you.

So, if the Mets are 3 games out of the Wild Card spot in the closing days before the trade deadline, how should David Stearns approach it? Here’s what we think.

Chris Bello

It entirely depends on two things: Who is ahead of them in the standings? And what is their record?

If the Mets are still five to ten games below .500, David Stearns should trade their assets. Even Pete Alonso. If the Mets are above .500 and have a legitimate chance, then Stearns shouldn’t add anything. This year was always a bridge to prolonged success, and the Mets shouldn’t put that in jeopardy for a wild card run.

Christian De Block

For me, it largely depends on how many teams they need to jump ahead of. Right now, that number is seven. If the Mets can get that down to three or four in the days leading up to the deadline, I think being marginal buyers should be the call. If they still need to pass by seven teams in order to occupy a playoff spot come late July, David Stearns should trade the expiring contracts with the most interest (Luis Severino, J.D. Martinez, etc…).

Johnluke Chaparro

If the Mets are still in it by trade deadline time, why not take a shot? Recent history has shown that it doesn’t really matter if you win the division or not. If you get in, you’re in. Obviously, for the sake of the future, you don’t go too crazy selling off futures but a piece to supplement the team here and there could do the trick.

It all depends on how the team is performing and if they’re on the cusp, why not?

Mathias Altman-Kurosaki

If the Mets are three games out but five games over .500, they should buy. If they’re five under .500, they should sell. While it’s not impossible that they could sneak into the playoffs with a low-80s win total and then shock the world, it’s not worth mortgaging the future and then hoping for a miracle in October. They should strongly consider moving all of their players on expiring contracts, regardless of their record. If the Mets do some buying, they should be looking for younger, controllable players who could contribute to future runs.

Andrew Steele-Davis

I’m not buying any stock in this Mets team. I’m sorry, but I’m just not. The overall sample size proves they are not a fundamentally good baseball team. The teams that currently occupy Wild Card spots are all better than the Mets. And, the majority of the teams the Mets will have to jump over just to secure a Wild Card berth are also better. David Stearns was hired to bring sustained success to Queens. In order to do that, the team as currently constituted needs blowing up. There is just no getting away from that. Some hard decisions need to be made at the trade deadline, but they will be necessary ones for the long-term health of the franchise. So, yes, even if the Mets are still technically alive at the trade deadline, the mandate should still be to sell. It would be foolish to do anything else.

David Melendi

Well, they have been hot since the Glove Toss. And went 12-3 after starting 0-5. But I sense this will be the story all year. Inconsistency. I peeked at the second-half schedule and 13 of the final 16 games are against the Phillies, Braves, and Brewers. Yikes. So while I’m a sucker for meaningful games in September, I think trading the veterans for good prospects is the way to build a long-term winner, which is David Stearns’ stated goal.

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