The Mets' farm system is filled with talented prospects and outfielder Drew Gilbert's recent play has drawn the attention of the team's front office.
Speaking with the media in San Francisco ahead of Friday's series opener against the Giants, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns spoke about what he hoped to accomplish at the trade deadline after dealing for left-handed reliever Gregory Soto. The Mets' outfield was a subject brought up to Stearns since the centerfield platoon of Tyrone Taylor and Jeff McNeil has, while playing admirably, not produced consistently enough.
There have been rumblings of a deal to address it at the deadline, but while Stearns shared he was comfortable with Taylor/McNeil the rest of the season, he was asked about Gilbert's recent play and whether he's on the team's radar for center field.
"Drew’s doing a tremendous job," Stearns said. "I think to his credit, he’s putting himself on the radar a little bit and deserves a lot of credit for that. Both offensively and defensively, he’s taken a step forward over the next month or two."
Stearns didn't necessarily answer the question, but gave his flowers to the 24-year-old who has turned his offensive game up with Syracuse.
Entering Friday, Gilbert was hitting .310 with a .990 OPS over the last 30 days, and that doesn't include the power performance he put on in Syracuse's game against Omaha.
Gilbert went 3-for-4 with two home runs.
"He's doing a tremendous his job. And to his credit, he's putting himself on the radar"
– David Stearns on Drew Gilbert in center field pic.twitter.com/DuS2UhXz0q
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 26, 2025
That offensive outburst raised his batting average to .248, his OBP to .351 and his OPS to .796 in 78 games in Triple-A. Across 17 games in July, Gilbert is hitting .338 with six home runs while driving in 17 RBI a posting an OPS of 1.126.
Entering Friday, Taylor is hitting .209 with two home runs and 17 RBI to go with his .570 OPS across 91 games. McNeil, in 68 games entering Friday, is hitting better. He's averaging .251 with nine home runs and 32 RBI, but splits time between the outfield and infield.
While Jesse Winker continues to recover on the IL, Gilbert could be the left-handed bat the Mets are looking for to pair with Taylor. Stearns made it clear on Friday that upgrading the position with an external option isn't a priority.
"I’m comfortable with the setup we have right now," Stearns said of his centerfielders. "Mendy is doing a great job of finding the right days for Jeff to be out there and for Tyrone to be out there. It’s two skill sets that complement each other, so I‘m comfortable with that. Like with the rest of the team, we’re going to explore areas of upgrades and that’s one of them."
Perhaps that's because he knows who he has waiting in the wings.
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