Mets’ trade deadline strategy follows Dodgers' script to perfection

The New York Mets were one of MLB's most active teams at the trade deadline, as David Stearns pulled off four trades. The team acquired three relievers - Gregory Soto, Taylor Rogers and Ryan Helsley - and a center fielder, Cedric Mullins. It goes without saying that the team is much improved from where it was a week ago. With that being said, Mets fans can't help but notice that starting pitching was not addressed.

The Mets' starting rotation has had its share of good moments this season, but objectively, it feels as if the team has three starters the team would be comfortable with starting in a postseason series. Kodai Senga's upside is as high as anyone's in the game when healthy, Sean Manaea has been a revelation ever since he changed his arm slot, and David Peterson is as consistent and reliable as they come. Who would the fourth starter be in the postseason, though, newly converted starting pitcher Clay Holmes? Frankie Montas? A young arm like Nolan McLean or Brandon Sproat? All of these options can potentially be fine, but they also come with major risks. Mets fans wanted to see a fourth starter be added, but no such move was made.

While frustration is understandable, Mets fans should just think about how their season ended in 2024. They lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team that essentially navigated the postseason with three starters and used two full-on bullpen games against the Mets. With that in mind, while it would've been nice to have seen the Mets win the Merrill Kelly sweepstakes, there's still reason to believe they can win the World Series, especially because of how they navigated the deadline.

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Dodgers won World Series with team built to score runs and rely on deep bullpen

The Dodgers won the World Series despite having three reliable starters. Only twice did they have a starter complete six innings. They got no help from guys like Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Stone or even Shohei Ohtani (the pitcher) in October. They won it largely because their bullpen, which was incredibly deep and star-studded, was outstanding, and the same can be said about their lineup.

In the postseason, when there are days off every two or three games at most, it's a lot easier to rely heavily on the same four or five guys in a bullpen. The Dodgers had four relievers appear in at least half of their postseason games, and three of those four were nothing short of dominant.

As long as a team is scoring runs and has a bullpen capable of getting 12 or 15 outs, winning it all with only three starters is more than possible. The Mets hope to be the latest team to follow this trend.

Mets are built to win World Series the same way the Dodgers did

The Mets haven't been scoring runs, but it also feels like they haven't had their star players hot at the same time. Well, assuming those stars get going, and the depth addition of Cedric Mullins works out, this offense is capable of doing some special things. I mean, look at this lineup that the Mets can conceivably run out on most nights.

They figure to score runs at an elite clip, and can combine that with three trustworthy starters and as good of a bullpen as there is in the sport. Sure, it isn't San Diego Padres level, but Ryne Stanek might be their worst reliever come October. He was recording huge eighth-inning outs in last year's postseason, and even closed out a couple of key games. Can non-Padres teams really do much better than a late-game trio of Edwin Diaz, Ryan Helsley, and Tyler Rogers with Gregory Soto and Brooks Raley as left-handed options and Reed Garrett pitching in middle relief? C'mon.

I'm not here to say the Mets will win it all, and it certainly would've made their lives easier had they been able to add a starter, but their inability to do so isn't a reason to believe their season is over. This Mets team has set itself up to win, and if guys like Helsley, Soto, and Rogers pitch to their ability down the stretch and in October, they can win by following the script laid out for them last season.