The New York Mets did everything in their power to put together a contending team this offseason, and so far it's paying dividends in a huge way. New York added Juan Soto as you may have heard, but they followed that up by re-signing key players like Sean Manaea (yet to pitch this season due to injury) and Pete Alonso.
With these huge additions, the Mets currently hold the third-best record in the league, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres while being tied with the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants at 22-13. This is quite a step up for a team that struggled for much of last year before catching fire late. But there are still holes to fill on the Mets roster if they want to emerge from the rugged NL, notably in the outfield.
New York has some talented outfielders, but they lack star power beyond Soto. Brandon Nimmo has yet to get on track, Tyrone Taylor's bat hasn't taken a step forward and Jose Siri has been injured for much of the year. Behind them, depth was always an issue, and it's even more so now that Jesse Winker has gone down with an oblique injury. Starling Marte played five innings in right field on Sunday, but he doesn't seem physically capable of doing even that on a daily basis at this point.
New York needs more bodies capable of standing in the outfield grass and putting together MLB-quality at-bats. But Instead of chasing a blockbuster trade, the team could make an unexpected move and promote one of their top prospects to the big leagues.
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Top prospect Drew Gilbert could be the perfect solution for the Mets
The Mets acquired Drew Gilbert a few years ago with high hopes for the slugger, but he struggled tremendously in 2024. Despite that, he's bounced back in a huge way this year: The young outfielder is slashing .309/.424/.515 through 20 Minor League games, with five doubles, three home runs and as many walks as strikeouts.
He's putting the ball in play and putting it in play hard. Even after being elevated back to Triple-A, he's crushed at the plate. It's going to be hard for the Mets to keep him down there for too long while the big-league outfielders leave a lot to be desired.
Gilbert doesn't have to be an everyday bat for the Mets, but he could work perfectly in a platoon role as the Mets look to boost the lineup. If New York is going to chase a World Series title this season, it's going to need all the best talent it can get, and Gilbert is included in that talent.