The New York Mets endured a brutal midseason collapse in the standings and missed the playoffs entirely, but it wasn’t for lack of effort from the front office.
The team was remarkably aggressive in landing free agent Juan Soto with a record-setting contract last winter and then it seemingly addressed some outstanding needs with an all-in trade deadline as well. Those moves might not have paid off with a postseason berth, but that doesn’t mean the Mets’ front office will change tact.
The Mets could lean into their win-now pressure and look to make another blockbuster addition this winter. Major League Baseball analyst Jim Riley predicted they will emerge as the winners of the Steven Kwan trade sweepstakes, ultimately landing the coveted Cleveland Guardians outfielder after several suitors reportedly circled him at the latest trade deadline.
“With a couple years left of arbitration, this could be the opportune time for the Guardians to move on from Kwan,” Riley said in a YouTube video. “There is a need for an outfielder (on the Mets), the Cedric Mullins thing did not really work out for them. Kwan is the way to go. And if you’re Cleveland, you can ask for and probably get one of those young starting pitchers back in return.”
Kwan offers a unique and tantalizing combination of defense prowess and on-base skills which have made him the target of trade suitors like the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers. But with two more seasons of club control ahead, the Guardians haven’t faced too much pressure to trade him away.
However, if the Mets were to offer a promising young starter like Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong or Brandon Sproat available in a package for Kwan, that could be the kind of headliner who helps get a deal done.
