Mets trade strategy could hand Pirates the bullpen boost they desperately need

The Pittsburgh Pirates (and, really, every other prospective trade deadline buyer) received tremendous news last week, as the New York Mets announced themselves as all-in sellers. The only players they won't listen to offers for are starting pitchers Nolan McLean and Christian Scott, plus outfielders Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing, and Juan Soto.

That still leaves an absolutely loaded group of players to pluck from, including a bullpen filled with high-leverage rentals, southpaws, and a genuine ninth-inning option in Luke Weaver. That will be music to the Pirates' ears, especially if they fancy Weaver as the shutdown closer they've been missing.

Really, the question here isn't whether the Pirates should try to make a trade with the Mets. Instead, it's a decision of which specific players they should be targeting.

Mets can be one-stop shop for all of Pirates' trade deadline needs

The Mets have far more to give than just bullpen pieces; starting pitchers Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes, as well as former top prospects Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, and Ronny Mauricio will all be heavily discussed in the weeks leading up to the deadline. Heck, they may even trade franchise catcher Francisco Alvarez if the return is good enough.

However, seeing as the Pirates fielded the top-ranked offense in the first half and employ a rotation comprised of Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, Jared Jones, and Bubba Chandler, it's safe to say their first, second, and third priority this summer will be adding relievers.

The clearest and cleanest fits in that regard are southpaws Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter, both of whom are rentals. The latter has a 1.42 ERA and 2.84 FIP this year, but he's more expensive (prorated $11 million salary) compared to what remans of Raley's $4.75 million contract. And, for what it's worth, Raley has stayed healthier this year, making twice as many appearances while pitching to a 2.02 ERA and 3.18 FIP.

Weaver is still the top prize, compiling a 2.03 ERA and 2.82 FIP over 40 innings this season. And even those numbers don't do his dominance total justice; he only recently had his 23-game scoreless streak broken, during which he didn't allow a run for 25.1 consecutive innings.

That's the kind of reliever who could turn the Pirates' mediocre relief corps around, be it as a true closer or in the type of wandering high-leverage role he's held with the Mets this year. He's also got ample postseason experience under his belt from the Yankees' 2024 World Series run, which would make him the perfect leader of the bullpen during the second half.

Whether it's one (or more) of those three or a controllable player like the ageless Huascar Brazobán, it's clear the Mets have what the Buccos need. With a seller of this magnitude on the market, Ben Cherington and company really have no excuse not to address the roster's biggest flaw.

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