Former Mets All-Star offers opinion on trade-deadline purge

While the rest of the baseball world has gleefully piled on the underachieving New York Mets, former All-Star third baseman David Wright says he's excited about the opportunity the team's failures present. 

Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Wright said if he were a young player in the Mets organization right now, he'd be "chopping at the bit." 

"It's a different feeling putting that uniform on when you're drafted, developed - when an organization trades a future Hall of Famer for you," Wright said via SNY. "It means a little bit more to put that uniform on, and that's what excites me is that these guys are going to get opportunities to have an extended showcase."

If anyone would understand the Mets' situation, it's Wright. When he made his MLB debut in 2004 as a 21-year-old, the Mets were coming off back-to-back losing seasons and were about to experience another, finishing 20 games below .500 (71-91) that year. Over Wright's 14 seasons with the Mets, New York finished fourth or worst in the National League East seven times. However, while there were plenty of downtimes, Wright also helped the Mets climb out of the cellar twice during his run, leading the Mets to two division titles (2006, 2015) and a trip to the World Series in 2015. 

The Mets still have experience with veterans like first baseman Pete Alonso and shortstop Francisco Lindor leading the charge. But the future is only a step away. After dealing future Hall of Fame pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in separate deals, the Mets now have five prospects among MLB Pipeline's top 100. In fact, the Mets acquired their top two prospects at the deadline in outfielders Luisangel Acuna (40) and Drew Gilbert (56). 

With plenty of shots at the next superstar, Wright believes the Mets ultimately made the smart move in deciding to all but blow up the largest payroll in baseball. Now it's up to the players left behind to seize the opportunity. 

"In my opinion, that's how you get to that sustained, winning level is that you build from within," Wright said.