The New York Mets are leading the National League East, but could be looking to make some moves near the trade deadline in order to ensure a deep postseason run.
The Mets have gotten just a .663 OPS from center field this year. Tyrone Taylor has seen most of the work there, but he is far from an ideal option. The New York Mets could explore the trade market to find an upgrade. ESPN's Bradford Doolittle tabbed Luis Robert Jr. as a fit, despite his struggles.
"When the Mets acquired Jose Siri during the offseason, it seemed likely that Siri was a stopgap solution while New York waited on some of its outfield prospects to mature," wrote Doolittle. "Tyrone Taylor has logged the most time in center, but he's best suited for a complementary role. Among the prospects, Drew Gilbert is in Triple-A, but hasn't hit there so far. Thus, center is an obvious position of need for New York, which seems like a great landing spot for Luis Robert Jr."
Robert is hitting just .177 on the year with five home runs. He signed a six-year, $50 million deal in 2020 and has $20 million club options for next year and 2027. His biggest knock has been injuries, but this year he has been healthy and is struggling. In 2023, he was an All-Star in his first healthy season. He hit 38 home runs and stole 20 bases.
Robert was the center of many trade rumors in the offseason, but nothing materialized. However, he knows that the way he is playing right now, no team will want to acquire him.
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"Right now as my season is going, I don't think anyone is going to take a chance on me," Robert told MLB.com's Scott Merkin on May 20.
The Mets would be taking a big risk if they traded for Robert. He has shown little ability to stay healthy in his career, and he is not playing well right now. He does have 21 stolen bases, but the Mets would be banking on a drastic offensive turnaround from him. Perhaps playing on a winning team and a change of scenery could do him some good.
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