MLB Trades: 5 Players the New York Mets Should Consider Dealing

Give New York Mets manager Terry Collins credit for keeping the competitive fires burning at Citi Field despite the team's financial problems, and injuries to its pitching ace and almost all of its best bats. 

Nevertheless, it would take a miracle of greater proportions than the Amazin's of 1969 if this Mets team somehow got close enough to even sniff the postseason.

New York needs to bolster a farm system that has been heavily taxed and pare payroll so GM Sandy Alderson can take his best shot at retaining pending free-agent shortstop and National League MVP candidate Jose Reyes before he hits the open market.

Francisco Rodriguez has already been shipped to Milwaukee, so who's next? Here are five potential candidates to be dealt by the Mets as the July 31 trade deadline approaches.

Carlos Beltran

Carlos Beltran entered play Sunday hitting .287 with 14 homers and 59 RBI, but perhaps even more remarkable is he's managed to stay healthy for most of the season. This has been great news for the Mets, because the market for the 34-year-old outfielder could not be hotter.

Beltran is a mortal lock to be dealt by the deadline and would be a major addition to any contender looking to add another bat to its lineup. He is the one player the Mets can move—other than Reyes—who can command a top prospect in return.

Teams linked to Beltran include the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians. Even the division rival Philadelphia Phillies are said to be kicking the tires.

Beltran's durability in 2011 and smooth transition to right field make him attractive to National League teams, while an American League team can use him in the field or as a DH.

It's clear Beltran's days with the Mets are numbered, and he is near the top of the list of available hitters with the potential to put a contending team over the top.

Jason Isringhausen

The Mets have gotten far more mileage out of Jason Isringhausen this season than even they could have expected. 

After losing the closer's role in St. Louis in 2008, Isringhausen had an aborted comeback attempt with the Tampa Bay Rays the following year before sitting out all of 2010. The fact that he even made the Mets roster was an accomplishment; his 35 appearances and more than 28 innings of generally effective work are remarkable.

If the Mets were in the pennant race, Isringhausen would have been the natural choice to succeed the departed Rodriguez as closer. But with young Bobby Parnell as an intriguing alternative with his blazing mid-90s fastball, the 38-year-old Isringhausen would make a great setup man for any team looking to strengthen its late-inning relief corps.

Isringhausen says he wants to remain with the Mets, and while the team would likely want to accommodate him, there's a decent prospect or two to be had if they decide to make a deal. 

Tim Byrdak

What team can ever have enough left-handed relief pitchers?

Tim Byrdak is one of those wily veterans who has three decent pitches—a fastball, curveball and forkball—and has been around the block a few times, pitching for five organizations, including the Mets.

With Rodriguez gone, Byrdak now leads all New York pitchers in appearances in 2011. Like Beltran and Isringhausen, the Mets can use Byrdak's durability as a selling point.

He won't bring back much more than an Single-A or Double-A level prospect, but as yet another chip the Mets can use to further rebuild their farm system, Byrdak's pure gold.

Chris Capuano

It's a good bet not many fans remember Chris Capuano won 18 games in a season for the Milwaukee Brewers. That was in 2005, before his second Tommy John surgery.

Yet another 2011 Mets reclamation project, Capuano won eight games in the first half of the season and has been serviceable as a back-end starter. 

With contenders looking to fill gaps in the back of their rotations and the Mets on a mission to stockpile younger arms, some team could find value in Capuano, who turns 33 in August and has also managed to stay healthy this year.

Not a power pitcher, Capuano is a Jamie Moyer-type whose deceptive delivery could give fits to American League batters who've never faced him. It wouldn't be surprising if a team like the Tigers or Indians took a flier on the lefty.

Jason Bay

Okay, this admittedly is a long shot based on his fat contract and disappointing numbers as a Met, but let's not lose sight of the fact that Jason Bay has hit at least 20 home runs in a season seven times and more than 30 in four. His is a potent power bat when it's clicking.

Bay is owed $16 million a year for the next two seasons, but the Mets would only have to pay him $3 million in 2014 if they exercised a buyout clause in his contract. Some rich, go-for-broke contender might see this as a risk worth taking, especially if Bay could somehow return to his old form—and the Mets picked up part of the tab.

It's become clear Bay isn't a good fit for Citi Field, so maybe now is the time for the Mets to try cutting their losses and getting some prospects in a trade.

Beltran's expected departure would open up a spot in the outfield for Daniel Murphy once David Wright and Ike Davis return from the disabled list. And one would suppose that an outfield prospect (or two) would be among the booty the Mets would receive in their deadline dealing. If that's the case, all the more reason to try and move Bay now before he becomes unmarketable.