Mets could show how they feel about Drew Gilbert this week

The New York Mets have been actively looking for help in center field prior to the trade deadline, but it remains to be seen whether they can land a player to help at their least-productive offensive position.

Trade rumors have linked the Mets to Luis Robert Jr., Harrison Bader and Cedric Mullins among others, but one thing this week will show about the position is whether the Mets feel Drew Gilbert can be a part of their long-term plans there.

Despite getting sub-optimal production in center for a while and routinely trying Jeff McNeil there, the Mets haven't really considered giving Gilbert a look at the major league level. The 24-year-old has been on a tear with Triple-A Syracuse in July, leading David Stearns to recently declare that Gilbert has put himself into the conversation for big league reps.

Drew Gilbert two home run game!

Gilbert has been on fire for a bit now. Entering today he is hitting .310 with a .990 OPS over the last 30 days pic.twitter.com/FE6PET3iX7
— Joe DeMayo (@PSLToFlushing) July 26, 2025

Of the Mets' most notable prospects, Gilbert is the only one who has to be added to the 40-man roster this winter to avoid exposure to the Rule 5 Draft. Despite having a multitude of 40-man spots occupied by middle relievers to fill the bottom of the bullpen, Stearns has not added Gilbert to the Mets' big league roster yet, suggesting the team still believes a potential trade would offer more of an added benefit to the big league club than Gilbert can.

Drew Gilbert is "putting himself on the radar" after his recent hot stretch https://t.co/PeTQs9T8GR pic.twitter.com/tcZGX0tkE9
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 26, 2025

There is a possibility the Mets haven't moved Gilbert to the majors yet to preserve potential trade value for him. Gilbert does not appear to be the Mets' top internal candidate for center field in the long haul (with both Carson Benge and Jett Williams passing him in most prospect rankings), and with the outfield corners occupied through 2030 (when Brandon Nimmo's contract expires), there are limited paths for Gilbert to reach the majors and play every day.

Bringing up Gilbert now and having him struggle would hurt his potential trade value, and he is the type of controllable young player who is close to the majors that can unlock deals at the deadline. It is not out of the question that Gilbert gets moved in the right deal, which would be a sign that the Mets viewed him as expendable this whole time.

There is also a possibility that Stearns may feel the prices for rental center fielders are more than he is willing to pay, which could mean the Mets opt for an in-house approach to solving center field. This would open the door for an August or September call-up for Gilbert, who would then have a chance to establish himself at the big league level before Benge or Williams are nipping at his heels in Syracuse.

Either way, the next few days and how the Mets act at the deadline could reveal how the organization feels about Gilbert's ability to help them in the long run. While Gilbert was considered one of the big returns from 2023's deadline fire sale, it appears that things have been trending away from him being a part of the Mets' future core for a while now, a stance that could be affirmed by Thursday.

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