Mets Land Veteran Outfielder To Fix Depth Issues In Recent Mock Trade

The outfield for the New York Mets is looking scarily thin a couple of weeks into 2026, with spring training just over one month away. With how last season ended, the president of baseball operations for New York, David Stearns, has his work cut out for him to fill out the outfield before the 2026 season gets underway.

Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter included a solution to the Mets’ problem in his recent article. To address New York’s outfield, Reuter has the Mets landing St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar via trade this offseason. The deal would send Nootbaar to New York in exchange for infielder Ronny Mauricio.

“The Mets are still in the mix to sign Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger this offseason, but hedging their bets with this trade would be a step toward finalizing a roster that still needs multiple outfielders,” Reuter wrote. “Nootbaar has yet to have a true breakout season, but he does have a 109 OPS+ over five years in the majors and has averaged 2.8 WAR per 162 games played. He is also controllable through 2027.”

It’d be great if the Mets were able to land one of two of the biggest free agent names still available in Tucker or Bellinger, but it’s not a wise plan to put all their eggs in that basket. If talks stalled and the Mets were suddenly left with an outfield of Juan Soto and some scraps, it’d make a bounce-back 2026 campaign that much more difficult.

Luckily, the Mets don’t have to put all their efforts into Tucker or Bellinger. Landing a player like Nootbaar would solidify the outfield in Citi Field without giving out huge money or trading away some of their prized assets.

Nootbaar has been an above-average hitter at the plate for the majority of his five-year career, with the lone subpar season being 2025. Still, his uncharacteristically substandard year at the plate saw him finish with a .686 OPS and 38 extra-base hits. He would also provide the Mets with some versatility on the field, being able to comfortably play in all three outfield positions.

Landing a big name is, of course, the best and most exciting way to fill out the outfield in New York, but it’s also the most risky avenue, not to mention the heavy price that would come with it. Making a deal for Nootbaar would provide the Mets with a great fallback option in the case that they’re unable to land Tucker or Bellinger. If the price is right, the Mets would be foolish not to make a move for an outfielder who significantly raises the floor of the team.