Not to suggest that it is all on him, but New York Mets center fielder Tyrone Taylor has not done much to help pull his team out of its recent June swoon.
But truth be told, Taylor has not done much offensively this entire season.
After opening June with a 9-2 record, the Mets have fallen into a slump. They lost a season-worst seven consecutive games, including back-to-back sweeps by Tampa Bay and Atlanta, and have dropped eight of nine entering a four-game series at home against the Braves, beginning on Monday.
With Philadelphia winning two of three against New York over the weekend, the Mets find themselves in second place by one game in the NL East with a 46-32 overall record. They also find themselves looking outside the organization for players to fill up holes in the roster.
None bigger than the hole in center field.
Luis Robert Jr. Could Fill Season-Long Hole in Center Field for Mets
The Mets were dealt a blow in the opening weeks of the regular season when Jose Siri hit a foul ball off his left shin and suffered a fractured tibia. Initially hoping for a recovery time of 8-12 weeks, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearn recently revealed that Siri had “a little bit of a setback” in his rehab and has been shut down from all baseball activities, putting a big question mark on his ability to return in 2025.
Meanwhile, Taylor has played the bulk of the innings in center field, and the returns have been less than desirable.
For the season, Taylor is slashing .232/.292/.338, with more strikeouts (50) than hits (48). The 31-year-old is batting just .204 in June, and during the Mets’ current nine-game downturn, Taylor is just 5-for-26 (.192) with four runs scored, one RBI and eight strikeouts.
Something needs to change. Could it be that a long-discussed potential change is closer to becoming a reality?
In a recent column for The Athletic, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon examined the plight of the Chicago White Sox heading toward the trade deadline. Citing the willingness of the San Francisco Giants to absorb all of the approximately $255 million remaining on Rafael Devers’ contract to make that blockbuster trade, Rosenthal and Sammon noted that the White Sox, while attempting to acquire prospects for some of their higher-salaried players, “are open to including cash in trades.”
This seemingly includes any deal involving Luis Robert Jr.
Luis Robert Jr. Has Been Subject of Trade Talks Since 2023 Breakout
The 27-year-old has been a popular topic of trade talks ever since his breakout season in 2023, when Robert hit 38 home runs with 80 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. But while the White Sox did trade away some of their high value pieces last season, such as Garret Crochet and Erick Fedde, Robert remained with the team, ostensibly to hold out for the best possible return.
Unfortunately for the White Sox, they may have waited too long. While Robert is still a premiere defensive player with speed, currently ranked fourth in the league with 22 stolen bases, he is slashing just .185/.267/.305, and his contract terms – which includes the balance of his $15 million salary this season, plus separate $20 million options for 2026 and ‘27 – make any potential deal more complicated.
All of which could give the Mets a rare dose of leverage in what is seen as a seller’s market. Robert may not be worth the top prospects that Chicago could have demanded a year ago, unless the White Sox agree to chip in on Robert’s salaries if New York chooses to exercise his option years.
Either way, the Mets have gathered up a deep pool of pitching prospects to make a deal, and in their analysis of the New York’s approach to the trade deadline, Rosenthal and Sammon suggest the likelihood that New York will “leverage their pitching-rich farm system.”
“After trading multiple minor-league pitchers last year, the Mets possess enough attractive arms in their farm system to supplement their roster without dealing their top pitching prospects, rival evaluators familiar with the organization said,” they wrote.
Whether that be a higher-tier arm like Brandon Sproat or Jonah Tong, or a lower-ranked prospect such as Jonathan Pintaro or Will Watson, the Mets have the pieces to negotiate, and the need to fill.
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