Sunday, July 27

Welcome back to the Mets Beat newsletter! Anthony DiComo has covered the Mets for MLB.com since 2007, including the past 16 seasons full-time on the beat.

SAN FRANCISCO -- One week from now, the Mets will have all but finalized their roster for the stretch run. It could be a busy Trade Deadline for the club … but it also might not be. Speaking earlier this week, president of baseball operations David Stearns described a trade landscape that was still very much working itself out. Executives and evaluators around the game have lamented the slow pace of business.

That, of course, can change in an instant. Less than one week from the Deadline, here’s a Mets primer:

Will the team bolster its offense?

Stearns all but said out loud this week that the Mets won’t pursue Eugenio Suárez, calling center field the only offensive position he might consider upgrading. While some may view that statement as posturing, Stearns generally isn’t the type for word games. Beyond that, Mets officials have been happy with Brett Baty’s work at third base. It doesn’t seem likely the Mets will acquire a game-changing force there or at DH.

In center, the only obvious difference-maker is Jarren Duran, who plays for a suddenly contending Red Sox team. The Mets would have trouble sparing the type of Major League pitching it would likely require to pry such a player away from Boston. Meanwhile, the next-best options on the market, Cedric Mullins and Luis Robert Jr., aren’t clear upgrades over the Mets’ current platoon of Jeff McNeil and Tyrone Taylor.

Perhaps the Mets could talk themselves into Robert’s recent uptick at the plate, particularly if Chicago’s primary motivation is to shed salary. But the White Sox are said to be seeking needle-moving prospects for Robert, an expensive rental. Would the Mets mortgage part of their future for a player who may or may not be an upgrade? It isn’t typically Stearns’ style.

How far will they go in the bullpen?

One obvious area the Mets will seek to improve over the next week is their relief corps. Outside of Edwin Díaz, manager Carlos Mendoza has few reliable options at his disposal. The question here is not whether the Mets will acquire help, but how far they’ll go.

Stearns’ history suggests he does not like paying premiums for relievers. Last year, he swung modest deals for Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek, Huascar Brazobán and Tyler Zuber. This year, the list of potentially available arms includes closers Jhoan Duran, Emmanuel Clase and Ryan Helsley, among others, as well as several talented setup men in the Twins and Orioles bullpens. Relievers like Duran and Clase are certified studs, but no guarantees exist that their teams will trade them. To pry them loose, the Mets would almost certainly have to part with some of the best prospects in their system.

Would Stearns stomach such a deal? His history says no, but we still have relatively little data regarding his tendencies in a big-market environment. If owner Steve Cohen instructs Stearns to improve the roster at any cost, the bullpen would clearly be the easiest place to make a splashy move. Around the league, there’s plenty of supply.

What about the rotation?

This is another area in which the Mets could make a play for a potential playoff starter like Sandy Alcantara, Mitch Keller or Zac Gallen, but that doesn’t mean they will. Mets officials know it couldn’t hurt to shore up their depth, but they’re also optimistic about their current rotation of Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, David Peterson and Frankie Montas -- a starting five that’s fully healthy for the first time all season.

Five months ago, Mets officials believed that group was enough, particularly with top prospects Brandon Sproat (No. 5) and Nolan McLean (No. 3) waiting in the wings. Do they still feel that way? We’ll know a lot more by this time next week.

Yoenis Céspedes led the Mets with 17 home runs in 57 regular-season games after the 2015 Trade Deadline. Who was second?

A) Michael Conforto

B) Lucas Duda

C) Curtis Granderson

D) Daniel Murphy

Before a game last week at Citi Field, Juan Soto pulled his black SUV up to FDNY Engine 263, Ladder 117 in Astoria, Queens, where a contingent of New York City firefighters were waiting. Once inside, Soto posed for pictures, signed autographs and gave away pairs of sunglasses through a partnership deal, while the firefighters on hand -- grown men and women, all -- watched with the awed faces of children.

“It’s a great feeling to be here and see what you guys do,” Soto said. “A lot of people think we are the heroes on the field running around and everything, but I feel like you guys are the real heroes.”

Soto also offered some encouragement for the FDNY in next month’s Battle of the Badges charity game at Citi Field, which has become an annual tradition pitting the FDNY against the NYPD.

“Play hard and beat those guys out there,” Soto said to great applause.

• The best Mets development this week was surely a pair of slump-busting hits for Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso in Wednesday’s win over the Angels. If those two heat up, any lingering offensive concerns could quickly quiet.

• Billy Wagner will always be better known as an Astro than a Met, but a significant portion of his career -- including two of his finest seasons -- did occur in Queens. “I joined the Mets because going to New York would be one way to try to get to the Hall of Fame,” Wagner said, referencing the challenges of baseball’s biggest media market in Brian McTaggart’s excellent feature on the closer. It turned out to be a pretty good strategy. This weekend, Wagner will officially enter Cooperstown as one of the greatest closers of his era.

Answer: C) Granderson

Granderson hit 10 homers after the 2015 Deadline. Conforto and Duda both had nine, while Murphy had eight.

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