Mets' Final Guide, Ideal Targets for 2022 MLB Trade Deadline

With the Atlanta Braves breathing down their neck in the NL East race, the New York Mets figure to be as aggressive as anyone at this year's trade deadline.

Following an offseason in which Max Scherzer, Starling Marte, Mark Canha, Eduardo Escobar and Chris Bassitt were all added to the mix, there's no reason to think the front office will be any less opportunistic in their pursuit of upgrades at the deadline.

This year's trade deadline is on Tuesday, and teams will have until 6 p.m. ET on the day to put the finishing touches on their roster for the stretch run.

Ahead we have taken a closer look at the buyer vs. seller debate while also highlighting a pair of ideal targets to address their roster needs.

The Mets are already roughly $59 million over the Tier 1 luxury tax threshold, according to Spotrac, and less than $1 million from eclipsing the Tier 4 threshold which comes with an 80 percent tax rate and draft-pick penalties.

However, owner Steve Cohen already recognized back in March that the team would likely exceed that $290 million figure, so there's no reason to think it will be a limiting factor.

The bigger question is what they'll be willing to part with from the farm system.

By all accounts, top prospects Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty are off-limits, and the same could be true of 19-year-old outfielder Alex Ramirez.

Can they get a blockbuster deal done with a package built around Mark Vientos or Ronny Mauricio?

That will be the question in their pursuit of upgrades at the deadline.

With a 94 OPS+ and just eight home runs in 370 plate appearances, Nelson Cruz is having a down year by his lofty standards as one of the best middle-of-the-order run producers of his era.

However, he still ranks among the MLB leaders in average exit velocity (81st percentile), hard-hit rate (87th percentile) and barrel rate (71st percentile), so perhaps all he needs to jump-start his season is to get away from the worst team in baseball.

The 42-year-old should come relatively cheap given his down year and the fact that he's a rental playing on a one-year, $15 million deal, and he could be the perfect buy-low slugger to pair with newly acquired left-handed-hitter Dan Vogelbach in the DH role.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported the Mets' interest in Cruz earlier this month.

There is a wide variety of different relievers the Mets could target in the coming days as they look to build a more stable bridge to closer Edwin Diaz.

One to keep an eye on is Michael Fulmer, who actually began his career in the Mets organization as the No. 44 overall pick in the 2011 draft. Four years later, before he made his MLB debut, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers in the Yoenis Cespedes blockbuster and he went on to win AL Rookie of the Year in 2016.

After injuries derailed his career as a starter, Fulmer found new life as a reliever in 2021 when he tallied 14 saves with a 2.97 ERA and 9.4 K/9 in 52 appearances.

The 29-year-old has continued to thrive in that role this season, posting a 2.92 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 17 holds in 38 appearances. And as a rental set to reach free agency this coming offseason, he should be a relatively cheap addition.

All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through Tuesday's games.