Ranking the top 5 Mets the Padres should target if trade talks heat up

The Padres are looking to kick their retool year into gear, as they attempt to fill vacancies across their infield, their starting rotation, and potentially at catcher. Luckily for A.J. Preller and company, there are many different approaches the team can take when following this process, as the free agency and trade markets fluctuate on a day-by-day basis.

One approach that the Padres could follow is to poach from one team in particular, a team that seems to be hitting the reset button for no apparent reason. That team is the New York Mets.

New York has seen Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Jeff McNeil, and Brandon Nimmo depart in one slow, painful exodus. The Mets completed one of the biggest collapses in recent memory, going from starting the season 45–23 and in first place in the National League to missing the playoffs altogether. We’re sure Frank the Tank was happy about that.

With this unprecedented start to David Stearns’ offseason, the Padres could be in the running for a couple of Mets players to fill in their holes on the roster.

Below are five players in particular who could be best suited in San Diego.

Ranking the top 5 Mets the Padres should target if trade talks heat up

Luisangel Acuña

The younger brother of Ronald Acuña Jr could use a change of scenery. In 2025, the 23-year-old slashed .234/.293/.274 with a 63 OPS+, prompting a stint in AAA. However, being such a young player with four-tool upside, this would not be a bad trade for the Padres. Acuña plays excellent defense and runs the bases well, and most importantly, can play second base.

With San Diego looking to get Jake Cronenworth’s contract off the books via trade, Acuña could fill in nicely as the next man up.

Mark Vientos

Another Met who could benefit from a change of scenery. Mark Vientos failed to follow up on what was an incredibly promising 2024 campaign, where he posted a 3.1 WAR season with an .837 OPS. Not only was he bad, but his WAR was in the negatives, meaning he was actively hurting the Mets.

Similar to Acuña, Vientos can play second base in where he would be a solid, cheap replacement for Jake Cronenworth.

Jonah Tong

The Mets are still looking to boost their starting rotation this offseason, and while the idea of trading Jonah Tong may contradict those plans, it just needs to be heard out.

New York has found their ace in Nolan McLean, who is considered an untouchable in trade talks. With the team removing Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil from their books, there is more money to spend on starting pitching, perhaps on a pair of southpaws such as Framber Valdez and Ranger Suárez, who are still on the market.

While young, Tong could gain experience at the back end of the Padres rotation, while Nick Pivetta and Michael King bolster the front end.

Brandon Sproat

The same situation as Tong, the Mets have the money to go out and get a front-line starting pitcher. So why not trade one of these two in a package to address another need on the roster? As mentioned before, New York struck a gold mine on Nolan McLean, who will be “the guy” in that rotation.

And just like Tong, Sproat could be a solid back-end of the rotation guy with plenty of upside to move up in the pecking order.

Francisco Lindor

While incredibly unlikely, let's throw an outlier in this list. Due to the massive roster overhaul endured by the Mets front office, would it really be a surprise if the team moves on from another star?

Sure, it would add money on the Padres’ books, but the team would be able to make room for him by sending Xander Bogaerts and then some in return. Surely he waves that no-trade clause, right?