The New York Mets have already had the kind of offseason that changes expectations.
Jul 4, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Minnesota Twins players wear commemorative hats as seen before the game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
New faces. Big names. A roster that looks nothing like the one that collapsed in the second half last year. And with spring training right around the corner, the Mets should be shifting into “fine-tuning” mode.
But New York doesn’t feel finished.
Not if they’re serious about chasing the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Not if they believe 2026 is a year to go all-in.
After a brutal second half of the season, the Mets entered the winter determined to reshape the roster — and they did. Key players are gone.
Major upgrades have arrived. Bo Bichette, Luis Robert Jr., and Freddy Peralta are now part of the new-look Mets, giving the team a different kind of edge than they had before.
At this point, most of the obvious needs have been addressed. The roster could very well be set heading into Opening Day.
Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
And yet… this is exactly the time when dangerous teams get even more dangerous.
Because once the foundation is solid, the next move isn’t about fixing weakness — it’s about creating fear.
That’s why a new hypothetical trade proposal has caught attention, even if it’s not something the Mets are officially pursuing yet.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report proposed a blockbuster scenario where New York would acquire Minnesota Twins star center fielder Byron Buxton in exchange for top prospects Jonah Tong and Ryan Clifford.
It’s not confirmed. It’s not reported as imminent.
But it’s the kind of idea that makes sense the moment you look at the Mets’ bigger goal: not just making the playoffs, but building a roster capable of staring down the Dodgers in October without blinking.
Why Buxton changes everything
The Mets’ outfield is already trending toward being one of the most athletic groups in baseball — especially after bringing in Luis Robert Jr. But left field remains a question mark, and the team’s current options are unproven.
Right now, it appears Carson Benge and Brett Baty are the two main candidates to fill that role.
Benge is a top prospect, and the organization seems eager to give him a real chance in the majors.
Baty, meanwhile, is expected to take on a Jeff McNeil-type role, moving around the diamond and getting reps all over — including left field — largely because the infield has become crowded after the Mets’ winter additions.
The plan could work.
But it’s a plan built on hope.
Buxton is built on proof.
Even with his injury history, he’s an All-Star caliber outfielder when he’s on the field — the kind of player who changes the game in one swing and steals momentum with one sprint.
And he’s coming off one of the best seasons of his career: a .264/.327/.551 slash line with 35 home runs and 24 stolen bases.
That’s not “nice production.”
That’s star-level impact.
Now imagine pairing that with Luis Robert Jr.
Even if one of them shifts from center to left — a move Miller acknowledges in the proposal — it’s hard to believe elite defenders like Buxton and Robert wouldn’t handle the transition.
If anything, it would turn the Mets’ outfield into something close to unfair: speed, power, range, and instant run-prevention.
The Mets wouldn’t just have an outfield.
They’d have a weapon.
The uncomfortable cost: prospects and the “point of no return”
Of course, the Mets don’t get Buxton for free. The proposed price is Jonah Tong and Ryan Clifford — two high-end prospects who represent future value and flexibility.
That’s where the conversation gets sharp.
Because trading Tong, in particular, would likely force New York into another move. Pitching depth is already fragile for contenders, and giving up a top arm means the Mets would need to replace that potential rotation impact elsewhere.
Which could trigger a chain reaction.
If Buxton arrives, the Mets suddenly have an excess of position-player options. That could make Benge or Baty expendable — and in a win-now scenario, “expendable” usually means trade bait.
So the Buxton proposal isn’t just one deal.
It’s the first domino.
And it raises a question Mets fans can’t ignore: is this roster being built to compete… or to dominate?
Because there’s a difference between being a playoff team and being a team that makes the rest of the league feel uncomfortable.
The Mets have already moved aggressively this winter. They’ve already reshaped the identity of the roster. But if they truly want to contend with the Dodgers, they may decide that “solid” isn’t enough.
Byron Buxton would be a luxury.
He would also be a statement.
And if New York ever decides to make that statement real, it won’t just complete the outfield.
It’ll complete the Mets’ transformation into a team that looks like it’s done waiting. ⚡
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