The first-place Mets will be buyers at the trade deadline, but a popular name mentioned as a likely fit for New York may not wind up being available after all.
ESPN's Buster Olney reported on Saturday that the Twins "aren't inclined" to trade players under contractual control through next season, which would include starting pitcher Jose Berrios, who is arbitration eligible in 2022 before becoming a free agent in 2023.
The Mets have been ravaged with injuries to their starting rotation, with Carlos Carrasco, Noah Syndergaard, David Peterson, Corey Oswalt and Joey Lucchesi all on the IL, the latter being done for the season. With Minnesota sitting at 39-50 and 14.5 games out of first place, many expected there would be a fire sale, but that may not be the case.
Berrios was an All-Star in 2018 and 2019 and is putting together another strong season, pitching to a 3.48 ERA over 108.2 innings. His 3.41 FIP is the best mark of his career, as is his 7.3 hits per nine innings and 0.9 home runs per nine.
New York should have Carrasco in the rotation soon after he made his first rehab start on Thursday, while Syndergaard likely won't be ready until closer to September. So they will likely still be monitoring the starting pitching market ahead of the trade deadline, regardless if Berrios is available.
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