Inside The Mets

Expert asserts NL team 'could crash' Mets trade deadline plan

One of the New York Mets' biggest rivals could foil their trade deadline strategy.
Grant Young|
Jul 30, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks to the media about the MLB trade deadline before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Jul 30, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks to the media about the MLB trade deadline before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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New York MetsPhiladelphia Phillies

In a June 12 article for The Athletic, MLB insider Jim Bowden conveyed that the expectation is that the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies will be competing to sign similar high-leverage bullpen arms between now and the July 31 trade deadline.

This doesn't necessarily come as a surprise, given that both of these teams have star-studded offenses and more than enough firepower with their starting pitching. And while the Mets' bullpen has been much better than the Phillies' to this point, if there's any clear place New York's roster can improve right now, it's within their relief corps.

Read more: ESPN gets clear about Mets lineup's biggest weakness

This sets up a fascinating arms race between the NL East's two top teams, who will be playing each other later this week.

And in a June 17 article, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer explained how the Phillies could ruin the Mets' trade deadline plans.

"The Mets are right where they want to be, to a point where they can even stop worrying about possibly needing to upgrade over Juan Soto in right field.

Yes, that was a joke. What's not a joke is that they need pitching, be it in their starting rotation, their bullpen or both," Rymer wrote after stating that New York will be buyers at the trade deadline. "Which one takes priority could ultimately depend on when and how well Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas recover from injuries.

"In the meantime, they're reportedly prioritizing high-leverage relievers. There are always a bunch of those available, though the [Phillies] could crash the Mets' search party," Rymer concluded.

Given how great David Stearns has been for the Mets in his tenure with the team, the fan base must have faith that he'll come through over Philadelphia in the coming weeks.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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