The New York Mets have just over 48 hours to take advantage of the trade market before the July 30 trade deadline takes effect. An MLB writer wants the franchise to look to the Windy City for a starter to replace their injured ace Kodai Senga.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post championed for the Mets to take a gander at Chicago White Sox starter Erick Fedde and Chicago Cubs righty Jameson Taillon, saying this in part about the latter (h/t Bleacher Report’s Jack Murray):
“Taillon is owed $18 million in both 2025 and ’26. He comes with the proven understanding after being a Yankee in 2021-22, that he can handle New York, plus has a rep as a terrific teammate. And in 17 starts for the Cubs this year, Taillon had a 2.96 ERA,” Sherman argued.
The Mets could look to acquire Jameson Taillon for efficient support in their pitching ranks
Taillon has come into his own once more in his second season with the Cubs. His .296 ERA is a career-low, and he has accompanied that with a clean 1.146 WHIP and 78 strikeouts across 100.1 innings pitched. The 32-year-old would give the Mets a winning pitcher whose 7 victories would tie Luis Severino for the most in New York’s starting rotation as is.
His 8.4 H9 and 5.1 percent walk rate, the latter of which ranks in the 89th percentile at his position, are also encouraging peripherals for Mets management to consider when assessing a potential trade.
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The Mets could also look at improved White Sox vet Erick Fedde to fill in for Kodai Senga
Regarding Fedde, the eight-year MLB veteran is also having himself a career year, much starker than that of Taillon’s improvement. Fedde has made it a hobby of sending batters back to the dugout, with 108 strikeouts across 21 starts for the White Sox. The 31-year-old would give the Mets an upper-tier starter who has a diverse array of pitches in his armory, including his cutter, sinker, and sweeper, all of which he throws between 20.3 and 30.9 percent of the time, with a virtually obsolete four-seamer that he utilizes 0.1 percent of the time.
The Mets (55-49) will need a backbone for their pitching staff as the playoff battle intensifies in the National League. Their current sixth-place standing is threatened by a mere half-game separating them, the Atlanta Braves (55-48), San Diego Padres (57-50), and Arizona Diamondbacks (55-50) between seeds No. 4-7 for the final playoff spot and two Wild Card slots. Taillon or Fedde could be that for them, which could also carry over into 2025 once Kodai Senga returns from his likely season-ending calf injury.
