What Mets could do next after Gregory Soto trade

Soto fills a critical need for the Mets' bullpen, which had been limited from the left side after both Danny Young and A.J. Minter were lost to season-ending injuries. The addition of Soto, along with Brooks Raley's return from Tommy John surgery, gives the Mets two lefties to work with to try and neutralize left-handed hitters on other teams.

That deal marks the first of potentially several bullpen additions for the Mets, who Stearns recently described as being in the market for multiple relievers. While Soto fills their need on the left side, Stearns would also like to find a setup option who can help bridge the gap from the starters to Edwin Diaz.

There are a variety of options on the board, including controllable relievers who can work the late innings like Cleveland's Emmanuel Clase, Pittsburgh's David Bednar, and Colorado's Seth Halvorsen. Acquiring one of those arms would allow the Mets to add a premium set-up man for this season while providing themselves insurance in the event Diaz leaves in the winter, but the cost in prospects for that kind of trade may be expensive as multiple teams are looking at that area of the market.

Stearns has historically shied away from paying top prices for relief pitching in terms of both dollars and prospects, as evidenced by his tenure in Milwaukee and his trade additions last year with the Mets (essentially buying low on Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek). If the prospect price for controllable arms is too rich for Stearns' taste, expect the Mets to look for another rental reliever who can fill that niche, like Washington's Kyle Finnegan.

Another type of reliever the Mets may add is an optionable arm with talent they can develop, in a similar mindset to the Huascar Brazoban and Tyler Zuber trades from last summer. Doing such a deal likely wouldn't cost much in terms of prospects and could pay dividends down the road, as evidenced by how Brazoban has become a trusted member of the Mets' bullpen.

The other area the Mets figure to address prior to the deadline is center field, with Chicago's Luis Robert Jr. looking like a primary target for Stearns. While Robert has had a down year, he is still only 27 years old and isn't too far removed from All-Star level performance in 2023, while also offering the elite speed (25 stolen bases this season) and defense Stearns values in up-the-middle players.

Adding Robert is a risky proposition given his 2025 stat line (he entered Friday's play batting just .206 with 10 home runs and a .636 OPS), but he has gotten hot in July, batting .351 (13-for-37) with a .982 OPS in 11 games. There is a case to be made that Robert might be energized by getting out of Chicago, which could make his two extra club options a potential bargain for a team whose best long-term candidates for the position haven't reached Triple-A yet.

The price on Jarren Duran appears to be too high for the Mets' interest, given a recent report that the Red Sox turned down a package featuring Dylan Cease and two top prospects for his services. It is unclear whether the Mets have much interest in Cedric Mullins or reuniting with Harrison Bader.

Third base seems to be a low priority for the Mets, who are not interested in Eugenio Suarez and have seen positive signs from Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio of late. The starting pitching market also doesn't have a true difference maker available, which may lead the Mets to rely on their in-house options if a player who would be a guaranteed starter in a postseason series isn't available.

In the end, it looks like two more relievers (one of whom would have minor league options available) and a center fielder are the most likely additions for the Mets after the Soto trade. There's always the possibility of the right top-of-the-rotation pitcher becoming available, but as of now it doesn't seem as if the splashy name that would warrant an addition is becoming available at a price point the Mets are comfortable paying.