What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾

• The Mets bats broke out in the finale against the Marlins in their 9-3 win in Miami (Box)

• Taijuan Walker was solid on the mound once again tossing 5.2 innings with 4 strikeouts while giving up three runs

• The Mets picked up 19 hits which was a season high for the team

• Francisco Lindor, Jeff McNeil, and Mark Canha all had three hits apiece

• Daniel Vogelbach picked up another two hits while serving as the team’s DH

• Tyler Naquin picked up his first hit and his first RBI as a Met

• All systems are a go for Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom to start back-to-back in Washington

Who’s Hot 🔥

• The team enters August with a record of 64-37 which is the second best in franchise history, second only to the 1986 team who was 66-32 entering August

• Since joining the Mets, Daniel Vogelbach is hitting .375/.545/.500 with five walks but he has yet to hit a home run in a Mets uniform

• Pete Alonso’s hot streak continued and over his last seven games he is hitting .423/.500/.808 with two home runs and seven RBIs

• Mark Canha has been quietly hitting as well over the past week despite leaving a “small village on base” on Friday night. Over his last seven games he is hitting .292/.346/.375

Injury Updates 🏥

• James McCann (strained oblique) went 1-for-5 with a home run for Double-A Binghamton on Sunday

Playoff Odds Tracker 🎲

The Mets lead the Braves by 3 games in the National League East with 62 games to go. They are on-pace for 102 wins which would be their highest mark since 1986 (108):

• Playoff odds (FanGraphs):

  • Make the playoffs: 99.9 percent ⬇️

  • Win the National League East: 73.3 percent ⬆️

  • Clinch first round bye: 71.9 percent ⬆️

  • Win the World Series: 15.5 percent ⬆️

Today’s Game 🗓

Match-up: Mets (64-37) at Nationals (35-68)

Where: Nationals Park — Washington, D.C.

Starters: RHP Max Scherzer (6-2, 2.09 ERA) vs LHP Patrick Corbin (4-14, 6.49 ERA)

When: 7:05 PM EDT

Where to Watch: SNY

What will make the 2022 Trade Deadline a success for the Mets? 📝

The Mets certainly have several needs heading down the stretch of the 2022 season. Another bat, a catcher, and bullpen arms would fortify the team and set them up for success for a deep postseason run. With all of the names being bandied about on the trade market what do the Mets need to do to get them to the promised land?

Star Tier

Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani are the two most tantalizing names on the market. But while a rotation of deGrom, Scherzer, and Ohtani is the stuff dreams are made of (and a lineup with Alonso and Ohtani hitting back-to-back), chances are low the Angels make this move during the season.

As for Soto, the Nationals seem hesitant to trade him in division, so the superstar will most likely find himself elsewhere after the deadline passes if Washington ultimately trades him. Remember, they don’t have to move Soto - he still has 2 1/2 years left of control. But now is the time to maximize the return for Washington, an organization which lacks any sort of intrigue in their minor league system.

Next Level

Willson Contreras and David Robertson fills all of the Mets biggest needs. They’d get both their bat and bullpen help in one fell swoop. Contreras can easily be their DH while keeping both James McCann and Tomás Nido as their catchers too. It also gives them depth where they won’t be an injury away from Patrick Mazeika seeing significant playing time.

J.D. Martinez and Christian Vazquez will certainly upgrade the offense, but this trade won’t address the bullpen. Trevor May is on his way back and Buck Showalter said that Tylor Megill could see time in the bullpen when he returns from injury, so in theory the Mets could stand pat with what they have, but not having a reliable lefty, or a crossover righty who can get left-handed hitters out consistently in the bullpen is definitely not ideal.

Minor Moves

Mets GM Billy Eppler could chose to make minor moves instead of taking a big swing, a strength-in-quantity approach to their weaknesses. He’s already employed that strategy to a degree, having already acquired Daniel Vogelbach and Tyler Naquin to deepen the bench so the most glaring need left to address in the bullpen. If parting with top prospects is too much of an ask (and right now, with the added Wild Card and no August trades, prices are high), he could swing for lesser moves like RHP Michael Fulmer, LHP Andrew Chafin, or RHP Jorge López.

Standing Pat

There is no question this is already a good baseball team. They are twenty-seven games over .500 heading into August and they are getting the best pitcher in baseball back into the rotation. Their closer is having an historic season and their stars in the middle of their lineup are all producing like they are capable of. With Vogelbach and Naquin, the bench is deeper and they are now a much bigger threat against right-handed pitching. So, the Mets could roll the dice and dance with the ones who got them this far while keeping their top prospects for the future.

How is success defined at the trade deadline?

All options are available to this front office but what would be deemed a success come August 2? As the Subway Series showed acquiring stars can make a big difference in crucial, game and season-defining moments. Starling Marte, Francisco Lindor, Max Scherzer, and Edwin Díaz all were difference makers in the series and raised their level of play when the spotlight was on. The Mets should learn from that and find other players who can do the same come October. Soto and Ohtani would be fantastic but unfortunately unrealistic (you never know, of course).

From my seat, their best bet would be swinging big for Contreras or Martinez and let their stars shine bright on the biggest stage in the playoffs.

Down on the Farm 🌾

• Ronny Mauricio (SS, No. 3 Prospect, Double-A): 2-for-5, R

• Francisco Álvarez (C, No. 1 Prospect, Triple-A): 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBIs

• Brett Baty (3B, No. 2 Prospect, Double-A): 2-for-5

Box Scores: Triple-A | Double-A | Single-A | Low-A

Around the League 🚩

• The Red Sox have entered the market as sellers which could make J.D. Martinez and Christian Vazquez available (Heyman)

• The Braves still refuse to lose a game - they defeated the Diamondbacks 1-0

• Mariners star Julio Rodriguez avoided any fractures after getting hit by pitch on his hand but the team placed him on the injured list to let it heal

• Cubs outfielder Ian Happ is drawing interest from teams including the Braves (Heyman)

• RHP Frankie Montas could be on the move with the Blue Jays, Yankees, and Cardinals all interested in acquiring him (Morosi)

• The Giants placed SS Thairo Estrada on the 7-day concussion IL after he was hit on the head by a pitch by Mark Leiter Jr.

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