The New York Mets have been one of the most dominant teams during the 2025 MLB season, entering play on Tuesday atop the National League standings at 38-22.
Despite boasting a loaded lineup with the likes of shortstop Francisco Lindor, first baseman Pete Alonso and outfielder Juan Soto, the Mets offense has somewhat underperformed thus far this spring.
New York enters Tuesday ranked in the middle of the pack in runs scored with 264 (12th in MLB) and team batting average at .246 (17th) among other categories.
The Mets also lost slugging third baseman Mark Vientos to a hamstring injury on Monday night, which could result in a stint on the injured list.
With that in mind, New York may be looking to upgrade on offense ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline, which is July 31. One particular weak spot has been in centerfield, where Tyrone Taylor (while a fine defensive player) has struggled with just one home run, nine RBI and a .238/.2925/.338 slash line across 175 plate appearances covering 53 games this season.
Addition of Cedric Mullins Would Help Mets Team With ‘Championship Aspirations’ Get ‘That Much Better’
ESPN’s Jeff Passan’s early “2025 MLB trade deadline preview” was published on Tuesday morning and within it, he lists the Mets as one of the nine “Acquirers,” meaning that they’ll be “aggressively pursuing additions” before the end of July.
Passan argues that New York’s main goal should be to “Get Juan Soto really going and run away with the NL East.” Then he writes that Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins is the best fit for what the Mets are looking for.
Mullins is currently on the 10-day IL due to a strained hamstring but could return soon and is having a solid season with 10 home runs, 31 RBI and eight steals across 207 plate appearances covering 50 games.
“The Mets have the best record in the NL, and that’s without Soto having his typical year and with a patchwork rotation that has managed to be the game’s best. As tempting as it was to send Gallen to the Mets — imagine the Philly-area native pitching for New York against the Phillies in the postseason — Mullins offers an even greater upgrade,” Passan wrote. “Mullins has been one of the Orioles’ lone bright spots this season, and as solid as Tyrone Taylor has been in center, Mullins’ bat is significantly better and his glove, though admittedly lesser than Taylor’s, is perfectly acceptable. Let Mullins bat for the first seven innings, put Taylor in for defensive purposes in the eighth and a Mets team with championship aspirations gets that much better.”
Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer listed the 2021 AL All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner as the fourth-most coveted player on his “Trade Deadline Big Board” on Tuesday as well.
Mets Have Been Connected to Multiple Star Outfielders This Year
This isn’t the first time that the Mets have been connected to a former All-Star outfielder this year.
With the Chicago White Sox continuing to show signs of an upcoming full rebuild, their most talked about player in trade rumors has been centerfielder Luis Robert Jr. Chicago hasn’t made the playoffs or had a winning record since 2021, finished last year with an MLB-record 121 losses against just 41 wins and is off to an 18-42 start in 2025.
Robert Jr. is only signed with Chicago through 2025, but has club options for 2026 and 2027, and has been linked to the Mets multiple times this season.
He made his big-league debut at the start of the 2020 COVID-shortened season in July and he posted 11 home runs, 31 RBI, nine steals and a .233/.302/.436 slash line in 202 at-bats over 56 contests. Robert Jr. won his first and only Gold Glove award in his first season and was the AL Rookie of the Year runner-up to Kyle Lewis as well.
Injuries limited the 27-year-old to 166 games between the 2021 and 2022 campaigns, but he had a breakout in 2023. Robert Jr. finished his fourth season with career highs in Wins Above Replacement (5.0), runs scored (90), hits (144), doubles (36), home runs (38), RBI (80) and total bases (296) among other categories, while earning a Silver Slugger award and All-Star honor.
He played just 100 games in 2024, finishing with 14 home runs, 35 RBI and a career worst .224/.278/.379 triple slash, but also registered a career-high 23 stolen bases. Robert Jr. has followed up his rough 2024 with an even worse 2025 so far, slashing .177/.266/.286, though his counting stats have been good again with five home runs and an MLB-leading 21 steals.
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