Perched in first place with a mostly healthy roster and one of their most dynamic offensive cores in decades, the Mets entered late July sensing another fine runway for a deep postseason run. They then became one of the Trade Deadline’s more active teams,

The New York Mets acquired center fielder Cedric Mullins from the Baltimore Orioles for three prospects Thursday. Mullins, 30, is set to be a free agent after this season. He's hitting .229 with 15 home runs and a .738 OPS in 91 games for Baltimore, where he has spent the entirety of his eight-year career.

If the Mets were going to acquire a starter, it was likely going to have to be someone they viewed as part of their playoff rotation.