This offseason, the New York Mets made every effort to assemble a competitive club, and thus far, it has paid off handsomely. As you may have heard, New York signed Juan Soto, but they also signed important players like Pete Alonso and Sean Manaea, who is still unable to throw this season due to injury.
With these significant additions, the Mets now have the third-best record in the league at 22-13, tied with the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants and only behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. For a club that battled for a large portion of the previous season before finding fire late, this is a significant improvement. However, if the Mets hope to survive the tough NL, they still need to address some gaps on the roster, particularly in the outfield.
Beyond Soto, New York lacks star power, despite having several quality outfielders. Tyrone Taylor’s bat hasn’t improved, Brandon Nimmo hasn’t started to play well, and Jose Siri has been sidelined for a large portion of the season due to injury. Depth was always a problem behind them, and it’s considerably worse now that Jesse Winker has suffered an oblique injury. Even though Starling Marte played five innings in right field on Sunday, he doesn’t now appear to be physically capable of doing it every day.
More players who can stand on the outfield grass and produce at-bats of MLB caliber are needed in New York. However, the franchise may take a risk and send one of its best prospects to the major leagues rather than attempting a blockbuster deal.
Top prospect Drew Gilbert could be the perfect solution for the Mets
With great expectations for the slugger, the Mets signed Drew Gilbert a few years ago, but he had a terrible 2024 season. He has, however, recovered greatly this season: The young outfielder is slashing. Through 20 Minor League games, he is 309/.424/.515 with three home runs, five doubles, and as many walks as strikeouts.
He is making a lot of effort to put the ball in play. He’s still devastating at the plate even after being promoted back to Triple-A. While the big-league outfielders left a lot to be desired, the Mets will find it difficult to hold him down there for very long.
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.
