Could This New York Mets' Top Prospect be Used as Trade Deadline Chip?

Could this New York Mets' top prospect be used as trade deadline chip?

The Mets have made it clear that they don't want to trade any of their top prospects at the deadline.

That said, general manager Billy Eppler isn't one to say the word "never."

"You don't know what could come up, but I think there's a number of players that could be really difficult to wrestle away from us," Eppler told reporters at Citi Field over the weekend. "I don't like to live in absolute, so I don't ever say the word: never, but it's really hard to envision some scenario where you'd consider those things."

Billy Eppler was asked if any Mets prospects are untouchable at the trade deadline:

"You don't know what could come up, but I think there's a number of players that could be really difficult to wrestle away from us." pic.twitter.com/6LyGJs4J93

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 2, 2022

So, while it sounds unlikely that the Mets will send any top prospects packing via trade by August 2, Eppler did acknowledge that you never know what kind of opportunities may arise in the landscape of the trade market. 

As MLB insider Andy Martino wrote for SNY last week, one top ranked minor leaguer in the Mets' farm system, who may be expendable is shortstop Ronny Mauricio.

The 21-year-old is following up an impressive 20-home run, 64-RBI campaign, which mostly came in high A ball last year, with 15 homers and 53 RBI this season through 69 games for Double A Binghamton. 

But although Mauricio has a ton of potential, he struggles with plate discipline/pitch selection (187 strikeouts in last 177 games), and isn't known for getting on-base at a high clip (38 walks since start of 2021, plus a .299 career on-base percentage). Martino also pointed out that talent evaluators have compared Mauricio to former top prospect shortstop Amed Rosario, given similar deficiencies in their game. 

In the same breath, Francisco Lindor will be blocking Mauricio at his natural position for the next decade. At third base, Brett Baty has been raking in Double A this season, while manning the left side of Binghamton's infield next to our current topic. So when evaluating long-term spots for Mauricio at the big-league level, second base, or a conversion to center field, appear to be his only two options. 

At the moment, Baty and catcher Francisco Alvarez are indispensable, but Mauricio is not. That's because he doesn't necessarily fit in a crowded Mets infield in the near or long-term future. The Mets also must upgrade their major league roster with another big bat, as well as a high-leverage relief arm at the deadline, and these two needs won't come cheap. 

The Mets' previous GM Zack Scott made the mistake of dealing 2020 first-round draft pick Pete Crow-Armstrong for 47 games of Javier Baez last season. The team wound up collapsing and missing out on the postseason, despite holding an 103-day lead in the NL East. 

While Eppler cannot repeat this type of error, the Mets are a lot more equipped for a deep run in 2022, as opposed to last year. 

Mauricio isn't too far away from the majors, with his debut potentially looming at some point in 2023. Should he wind up as the center-piece in a trade ahead of this year's deadline, the return would have to exceed the price in the form of a significant increase in World Series title odds for the Mets. 

With New York in need of a hitter and reliever, Mauricio might be the trade piece to help them upgrade their roster in the coming weeks. Although Eppler and the Mets have made the thought of dealing a top prospect sound like a pipe dream, the door doesn't appear to be fully closed just yet. 

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