David Stearns said the Mets would be “engaged” in the center field market
When asked about the Mets’ position player group during a press conference on Monday afternoon, general manager David Stearns called center field “the one position where we haven’t gotten the level of production that we probably anticipated coming into the year.” While Stearns stated that bolstering the team’s bullpen remains his priority at the trade deadline, and that Jeff McNeil’s increased comfortability in center field makes a move less likely, the organization will still explore the possibility of bringing in an everyday center fielder to upgrade the current McNeil/Tyrone Taylor pairing. “I’m certain we’re gonna be engaged,” Stearns said, “but we gotta clear a bar that we actually think makes us better given the price.”
So is there a realistic center field upgrade out there for the Amazins? With just six days to go until the trade deadline hits at 6 PM on July 31, let’s take a look at some of the players whom the Mets could potentially make a deal for.
The most high-profile names on the center field market this deadline are Cedric Mullins of the Baltimore Orioles and Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox. Both are former All-Star selections and Silver Slugger recipients, with Robert also having a Gold Glove award to his credit—but both have struggled in their contract years. In his age-30 season, Mullins currently holds a .692 OPS (the lowest since his rookie year in 2018) and a -2 fielding run value (the fourth-worst of any center fielder with 400 innings at the position this season). While the Orioles will be shopping Mullins, hoping a team will bite at his successful track record and bet on a late-season turnaround, it seems unlikely that Mullins clears Stearns’ bar.
Robert’s .636 OPS is even lower than Mullins’, but a closer look tells a more complicated story: since June 6, Robert has an .804 OPS, and during his current nine-game hit-streak, that mark is up to 1.053. Robert’s speed and plus defense, while not quite at Tyrone Taylor’s level this season, make him an attractive candidate for the full-time center field position in Flushing if the Mets trust his recent offensive resurgence. But the Mets will certainly face competition from contending teams—especially the division rival Phillies—who are in greater need of Robert’s services, which could put the prospect price out of Stearns’ range for a rental. The Mets were among teams that recently checked in on Robert, according to Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated.
There’s the strange case of Mickey Moniak, a former first-overall pick by the Phillies in the 2016 draft, who at 27 years old is putting together a fine offensive season for the Rockies. Moniak’s .865 OPS would rank third on the Mets behind Pete Alonso and Juan Soto, his 28.5 ft/sec sprint speed would rank third behind Luisangel Acuña and Tyrone Taylor, and he’s under team control through the 2027 season with an organization stuck in a perpetual state of rebuilding—all factors which might initially seem to make him a good fit for the Mets at the deadline. But in a twist as old as time, his home-road splits create a classic Colorado dilemma: Moniak has a 1.013 OPS at Coors Field, and just a .685 OPS on the road. Even accounting for the fact that he’s disproportionately gotten playing time at home during his recent hot streak (16 of his last 22 games have come at Coors), those numbers are worth a skeptical double-take. His splits combined with his -4 fielding run value likely keep him below the Mets’ bar for a deadline acquisition.
Ironically, the Mets’ best fit for a new center fielder may be an old friend: Harrison Bader, whose offense has taken a step forward this season in Minnesota to supplement his still-stellar defense. The 31-year-old New York native currently holds a .765 OPS, and has clubbed five homers in his past 40 AB. Between the fact that Bader is on just a one-year contract with the struggling Twins and that Stearns clearly values Bader’s skillset after signing him last offseason, this reunion would seem to be the most likely of all possible center field upgrades for the Mets. Still, it’s difficult to imagine trading for Bader is in the Mets’ best long-term interest, as it would no doubt mean parting ways with Tyrone Taylor—a better defender under contract through 2026—in addition to whatever talent the Mets would send to Minnesota.
The most likely option, as Stearns himself said, is that the Mets stay put with their current duo of Jeff McNeil and Tyrone Taylor in center field. While the squirrel isn’t the most graceful cutting across the outfield grass, he’s not a liability, currently maintaining a neutral 0 OAA and 0 Fielder Throwing Runs which should make him a serviceable everyday center fielder down the stretch. As far as fourth outfielders go, Taylor’s elite defense still makes him a great late-game substitution, especially paired with McNeil’s versatility. If Carlos Mendoza calls on Taylor for defense late in a high-stakes game, he’ll have the opportunity to move McNeil—who is the only player in Mets’ history to appear in 300 games as an infielder and 300 games as an outfielder—anywhere other than shortstop or catcher to keep his torpedo bat in the lineup. It should take an especially advantageous offer for the Mets to abandon their current center field plans, especially when there are other roster weaknesses which their prospect capital would be better spent strengthening.