MLB Trade Scenarios: 5 Prospects the Mets Could Deal This July

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At 46-43, the New York Mets are directly in the heart of the playoff chase but have started the second half on the wrong foot. After being swept by the Braves, which included their ace struggling and their temporary closer blowing a lead late in the game, the Mets look like a team that needs a new star to come in and provide a much needed boost.

Names will be on the market. The Diamondbacks have already expressed interest in moving outfielder Justin Upton and numerous closers and setup men will become available as their teams fade in the playoff race (K-Rod last year).

In the event that the Mets want to make a move, they thankfully are boasting one of their best farm systems of the past decade. Here are five prospects New York could use as trade bait at the deadline.

Jeurys Familia

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The 22-year-old right-hander doesn't have the best numbers this year but that doesn't stop scouts from raving about him.  In Triple-A this year, Familia is 7-5 with a 4.82 ERA, but he has the potential to be a legitimate number two or three pitcher in an MLB rotation.

With a low to mid 90's fastball and impressive off-speed pitches, Familia is the likely trade bait if the Mets are unwilling to part with studs such as Zack Wheeler or Matt Harvey.

Wilmer Flores

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The middle infielder is still a very young prospect at 20 years old, but it just seems like he will never get his chance in the big leagues with Ruben Tejada's hot year and Daniel Murphy's consistent bat in the lineup.

Right now Flores is hitting .305 with 13 home runs, but along with the talent at the MLB level, the Mets spent their first-round draft pick on Gavin Cecchini, proving that Flores will have minimal opportunities for a big league breakthrough. They should trade him while his value is at an all-time high.

Collin McHugh

The 25-year-old right-hander will never be an ace at the major league level, but he does have the potential to be a number three or four starter in many rotations. He lives in the low 90's but throws strikes, has good command of his breaking balls and doesn't walk many hitters (98 strikeouts to 30 walks).

While a trade won't be based around him, a combination of Flores and McHugh would likely give the Mets a talented major league player in return. If he could keep his ERA anywhere near the 3.05 he has this year in the minors, he could be quite the steal.

Cesar Puello

Another extremely young player, the 21-year-old Puello is always seen near the top of prospect lists for the Mets. Although he's only hitting .245 with one home run in the minors so far this year, he has the potential to be a 20 home run guy in the big leagues.

Unfortunately, his struggles will lead to a decrease in his trade value. But on the bright side, with Brandon Nimmo being the outfielder of the future, losing Puello would not be a devastating blow to New York.

Zack Wheeler

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This move is highly unlikely, but if the Mets sought out a Justin Upton type of player, it would take a pitcher with the caliber of Zack Wheeler to properly compensate the other team.

Wheeler is an absolute flamethrower who sits 94-96 miles per hour and hit 98 mph on his only fastball in the Futures Game during the All-Star break.

After being acquired in a deadline move last year, Wheeler could be the highly touted prospect that gets moved again in hopes of making a playoff push.

Let's hope if he does move though, it works better for the Mets than it did for the Giants. After giving up Wheeler at the deadline for Carlos Beltran last season, the Giants fell short of the playoffs and Beltran didn't re-sign, instead taking his likely 30 home runs to the Cardinals.