The New York Mets have done what they’ve needed to do throughout the year, finding themselves in a somewhat decent position heading into the second half of the campaign.
Prior to the trade deadline, the Mets will have to hope that they stay afloat, currently sitting in first place in the National League East at 53-39 as of July 9. The Mets had some struggles over the past few weeks, but have seemingly bounced back and look to be in a much better position than they were just a few days ago.
However, with the deadline approaching, this is arguably the most important time of the year for New York. It’s clear that New York needs to add to its rotation, and if the Mets don’t, one could strongly argue that they won’t have the second half or postseason they’re looking for.
The Trade Idea
When searching for who that player might be, The Athletic named Zac Gallen of the Arizona Diamondbacks. It remains uncertain if the Diamondbacks plan to fully sell, but if they do, the Mets should have some interest in the right-hander who has been one of the better starters in baseball over the past few years.
“Gallen’s inconsistent season has mirrored Arizona’s on the whole. Each time he looks like his old self, he follows it up with a string of pedestrian outings. The stuff has really regressed, and the peripheral numbers support an ERA that starts with a five. So an acquiring team here is really betting on the track record of a 29-year-old who, until this season, had always been good. Gallen is a free agent at the end of the season,” they wrote.
Will the Diamondbacks Be Sellers?
It’s unfortunate that the Arizona Diamondbacks have dealt with the injuries they have, as they had a good argument to be one of the better teams in baseball on paper.
Injuries happen, and it isn’t anything that they can do, but they’ll have to hope that teams want somebody like Gallen due to the struggles he’s also faced throughout the season.
The right-hander owns a 5.15 ERA, which will likely worry teams such as the New York Mets a bit, but it’s also fair to suggest that he’ll be just fine, considering he has about six years of being one of the better starters in the game with his career 3.51 ERA.
In 2024, Gallen posted a 3.65 ERA and struck out 156 hitters in 148.0 innings. If that’s the arm the Mets could get, they’d be in a great position heading into the postseason.
According to ESPN, it’s possible that the Diamondbacks will be the most interesting team to watch at the deadline, given that they have numerous players that contending teams would love.
“One thing is clear, however: The Arizona Diamondbacks are the fulcrum of this deadline, with the ability to make it a lot more interesting if they decide to trade away their players heading into free agency — a group that includes slugging third baseman Eugenio Suarez, starters Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen, .300-hitting first baseman Josh Naylor and rejuvenated closer Shelby Miller…
“This past weekend’s sweep at the hands of the Miami Marlins was a crushing three games and decreased their playoff odds by about 11 percentage points, to under 20%. Factoring into Arizona’s ultimate thought process: Corbin Burnes is done for the season following Tommy John surgery, and with Gallen continuing to struggle with a 5.45 ERA, the rotation just hasn’t been competitive. A run to the postseason feels unlikely, and a run through October even less so,” they wrote.
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