The New York Mets are one of the best teams in MLB, but they also have a roster consisting of some major flaws. None of these flaws are as alarming as the bullpen, which, besides Edwin Diaz, has been incredibly shaky, especially lately. Some of this has to do with injuries, but even some relievers who have been healthy, like Reed Garrett and Ryne Stanek, have been remarkably inconsistent. With the need to acquire at least one bullpen arm so glaring, the Minnesota Twins should be the team David Stearns has ready on speed dial.
The Twins are on the postseason bubble right now, but after a crushing loss on Monday, they sit at 48-52 on the year. They're in the Wild Card race in an incredibly weak American League, but they're 4.5 games back of the third Wild Card spot as of this writing. Their odds are incredibly slim. Barring a great stretch before the trade deadline, Minnesota will likely be sellers at this year's trade deadline.
If they sell, again, the Mets must be the first team to come calling.
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Twins have a slew of relievers that should interest the Mets
Jhoan Duran is one of the best closers in the game and he's under contract for two more years after this one. He'd cost a lot to acquire, but does it get any better than Duran and Diaz in the eighth and ninth innings respectively? Griffin Jax, like Duran, comes with an additional two years of club control, and is as dominant of a set-up man as there is in the sport right now. He'd cost a lot, but probably not as much as Duran. Even Louie Varland has found a home in Minnesota's bullpen and has a 1.79 ERA in a team-leading 47 appearances this season. He doesn't even hit arbitration until after the 2027 campaign.
Those three relievers would be the dream additions, but what makes the Twins special is that there's a lot more to like. Danny Coulombe, for example, has allowed just two runs in 27.2 innings this season (0.65 ERA) across 36 appearances, and has held both left-handed and right-handed hitters to a sub-.470 OPS. Having Coulombe and Brooks Raley as left-handed relievers would be electric, and since Coulombe is 35 years old and on an expiring contract, he wouldn't be too costly to acquire.
Brock Stewart has a 2.67 ERA in 35 appearances and has a 31.2 percent strikeout rate. Cole Sands has had a bit of a down year, but he was really effective for Minnesota last season.
There are legitimately five or six relievers that the Mets should be asking about. This Twins team might not be great, but their bullpen is deep and elite. Yet, the Twins have even more that should pique the Mets' interest.
Mets should try and steal Willi Castro from Yankees
If the Twins sell, Willi Castro will be a player many contenders show interest in, and the Mets shouldn't be an exception. Castro is a switch-hitter who has a .785 OPS this season, has played six different positions in 2025, and is on an expiring contract. The New York Yankees figure to heavily pursue him given their third-base opening, but the Mets should be interested as well.
Castro can offer the Mets a ton of versatility and, perhaps most importantly, an elite bat against left-handed pitching. He has an .870 OPS against southpaws this season. The Mets as a team have a .666 OPS against lefties in 2025, good for 20th in the Majors. Castro would immediately become the team's best hitter against lefties.
Adding a bat isn't as important as adding a bullpen arm, but it's still a need, and one they can use the Twins to address.
Mets can offer Twins what they're looking for
The Twins might consider giving up on 2025, but they're likely going to try and be competitive in 2026. If they trade players away, they'll want pieces in return who can help them as soon as next season in an ideal world. The Mets have plenty of those in that regard.
Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Luisangel Acuña and Mark Vientos are all young infielders who are already in the Majors and can even replace Castro in Minnesota's infield. Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford are position player prospects who figure to be MLB-ready by sometime next season at the latest. Guys like Brandon Sproat and Blade Tidwell are pitchers on the verge of being MLB-ready. Tidwell already has gotten his feet wet in the Majors.
The Mets won't want to trade any of their elite prospects, but even beyond those guys, they have valuable players the Twins would want. These two teams match up well. It'll be interesting to see if David Stearns gets something done.