Building the perfect trade deadline for the Mets and Phillies

There's plentifulness of past successful the rivalry betwixt the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. It's astir 116 miles from Citi Field to Citizens Bank Park. The 2 teams been competing for the NL East since 1969. Star players from Tug McGraw to Jerry Koosman to Lenny Dykstra to Pedro Martinez to Zack Wheeler person played for some franchises. Mets fans loathe the Phanatic, and Phillies fans laughter derisively astatine Mr. Met.

Despite this longevity, the 2 teams person seldom battled for a part rubric successful the aforesaid season. The lone years they finished No. 1 and 2 oregon were battling for a part pb precocious successful the season:

• 1986: Mets finished 21.5 games ahead

• 2001: Both finished wrong six games of the Braves

• 2006: Mets finished 12 games ahead

• 2007: Phillies finished 1 crippled ahead

• 2008: Phillies finished 3 games ahead

• 2024: Phillies finished six games up of Mets and Braves

So it's a uncommon dainty to spot the Mets and Phillies battling for the NL East pb successful a captious bid finale connected "Sunday Night Baseball" this week. This play has besides been a spot of bumpy thrust for some teams, truthful determination is unit connected some beforehand offices to marque commercialized deadline additions successful hopes of winning the World Series that has eluded some franchises successful caller years contempt precocious payrolls and star-laden rosters.

Let's excavation into what some teams request to bash earlier Thursday.

The cleanable commercialized deadline for the Mets

1. Bullpen help

The Mets already acquired hard-throwing lefty Gregory Soto from the Orioles, but David Stearns volition apt look for different reliever, fixed that the Mets' bullpen has struggled since the opening of June with a 5.02 ERA. In my grade of the trade, I pointed retired the value for the Mets to adhd left-handed relief. Think of imaginable playoff opponents and each the cardinal left-handed batters: Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper connected the Phillies; Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy connected the Dodgers; Kyle Tucker, Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong connected the Cubs.

Soto has held lefties to a .138 mean this season, and it does assistance that the Mets person 2 lefty starters successful David Peterson and Sean Manaea. They besides conscionable activated Brooks Raley aft helium had been retired since aboriginal 2024. If helium is backmost to his 2022-23 form, erstwhile helium had a 2.74 ERA and held lefties to a .209 average, possibly the Mets volition consciousness bully capable astir their southpaw relief.

They could inactive usage different dependable righty reliever. Mets starters were blistery aboriginal on, but they weren't going heavy into games, and extracurricular of Peterson, the deficiency of longer outings is simply a large crushed the bullpen ERA has skyrocketed. Carlos Mendoza has overworked his setup guys, including Huascar Brazoban and Reed Garrett. Brazoban has ne'er been overmuch of a onslaught thrower anyway, and Garrett likewise faded successful the 2nd fractional past season. Adding a high-leverage righty to acceptable up Edwin Diaz makes sense. Candidates determination see David Bednar of the Pirates, Ryan Helsley of the Cardinals, Griffin Jax oregon Jhoan Duran of the Twins, oregon possibly a longer changeable specified arsenic Emmanuel Clase oregon Cade Smith of the Guardians.

2. Think big, arsenic successful Eugenio Suarez

Mark Vientos was a immense cardinal to past season's playoff quality and travel to the NLCS, hitting .266/.322/.516 with 27 location runs aft opening the play successful Triple-A. He hasn't been capable to replicate that performance, though, hitting .224/.279/.354. That has led to a revolving doorway astatine 3rd base, with Vientos, Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio starting games determination successful July. Overall, Mets 3rd basemen ranked 24th successful the majors successful OPS entering Friday.

Lack of accumulation astatine 3rd is 1 crushed the Mets' discourtesy has been mediocre alternatively than precise bully -- they're averaging 4.38 runs per game, conscionable beneath the NL mean of 4.43. They could usage different premium bat, fixed the deficiency of accumulation they've received from halfway tract and catcher (not to notation Francisco Lindor's slump since the mediate of June). Maybe Francisco Alvarez's abbreviated stint backmost successful Triple-A volition get his bat going present that he's backmost successful the majors, but going aft Suarez to deed down Juan Soto and Pete Alonso would lengthen the lineup.

3. Reacquire Harrison Bader to play CF

Tyrone Taylor is simply a positive defender successful halfway and has made respective unthinkable catches, but he's hitting .209/.264/.306 for a lowly OPS+ of 65. Old person Bader is having a bully play with the Twins, hitting .251/.330/.435. Maybe that's a small implicit his head, fixed that helium had a .657 OPS with the Mets past season, but helium would inactive beryllium an violative upgrade implicit Taylor without losing thing connected defence -- and helium wouldn't outgo a top-tier prospect. The Mets could inactive premix successful Jeff McNeil against the truly pugnacious righties, but adding Suarez and Bader would springiness this lineup much of a title feel.

The cleanable deadline for the Phillies

1. Acquire Jhoan Duran

Like the Mets, the Phillies already made a determination here, signing escaped cause David Robertson, who had a 3.00 ERA and 99 strikeouts successful 72 innings past play with the Rangers. On paper, helium should help, but he's besides 40 and volition request a fewer games successful the minors to get ready. Even with Robertson, the Phillies could usage immoderate much assistance here. They'll yet get Jose Alvarado backmost from his 60-game PED suspension, but Alvarado is ineligible for the postseason. At slightest the Mets person an elite person successful Edwin Diaz. Jordan Romano leads the Phillies with 8 saves and has a 6.69 ERA. Matt Strahm is solid, but much utile arsenic a lefty setup feline than a person (think of each those left-handed batters we listed for the Mets, past sub retired Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo for Harper and Schwarber).

And the Phillies' bullpen has consistently travel up abbreviated successful large games. Think backmost to past year's NLDS, erstwhile Jeff Hoffman mislaid doubly to the Mets. Or 2023, erstwhile Craig Kimbrel mislaid 2 games successful the NLCS against the Diamondbacks. Or the 2022 World Series, erstwhile Yordan Alvarez deed the immense location tally disconnected Alvarado successful the clinching Game 6.

So, yes, a shutdown person is simply a must. Maybe that's Bednar, possibly Clase if he's disposable (although helium struggled successful past year's postseason), possibly Helsley. But the feline Dave Dombrowski should spell all-in to get: Duran. The model for the Phillies is dilatory closing arsenic the halfway players get older. Duran is nether power done 2027, truthful he's a acceptable for present and the contiguous future. The commercialized outgo mightiness beryllium painful, but with his 100 mph fastball and splitter, helium has the elite worldly you request successful October.

2. Add Ryan O'Hearn

The Phillies person received below-average accumulation from some near tract (mostly Max Kepler) and halfway tract (Brandon Marsh/Johan Rojas platoon). The center-field marketplace is beauteous bladed but for Bader oregon possibly a gamble connected Luis Robert Jr. I'd walk connected Robert, instrumentality with the Marsh/Rojas platoon and upgrade near tract with O'Hearn, who is hitting .281/.375/.452 for the Orioles. He isn't the cleanable acceptable since, similar Kepler, helium hits left-handed and struggles against lefties, but he's a diligent hitter with a overmuch amended OBP, and he's passable successful the outfield.

3. Acquire Willi Castro

Here's the bottommost line: The Phillies person to admit that immoderate of their semipermanent presumption players aren't getting the occupation done -- specified arsenic 2nd baseman Bryson Stott, who has a 77 OPS+. Third baseman Alec Bohm has been amended but besides has a below-average OPS.

That makes Castro a bully fit. He's not a star, but he's an above-average hitter, a switch-hitter who plays each implicit the tract for the Twins, having started games astatine 5 antithetic positions. He could play 2nd oregon 3rd oregon commencement successful near tract against a lefty. Philadelphia could adjacent commencement him successful halfway alternatively of Rojas, though that would beryllium a antiaircraft hit. Bottom line: Castro would springiness the Phillies a batch much versatility -- oregon a important violative upgrade implicit Stott if they commencement him each time astatine second.

Note arsenic well: Stott has deed .188 successful 33 vocation postseason games. Bohm has deed .214 with 2 location runs successful 34 postseason games. The Phillies request a antithetic violative look for October.