Tyrone Taylor Hits Fifth Home Run of July as Mets Sink Dodgers 8-3, Trade Deadline Looms

A rebuild puts on a showcase

The Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-3 on Sunday at Citi Field, according to Newsday. Tyrone Taylor hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning off Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips, and Marcus Semien followed with a three-run shot of his own in the seventh.

The Mets are 44-62, in last place, and Sunday's victory prevented a season sweep by Los Angeles, per Newsday. New York finished 1-5 against the Dodgers this year.

That record is the backdrop for everything happening with this roster right now. With the trade deadline set for August 3, the Mets are widely expected to sell, and Taylor is Exhibit A for why.

The numbers behind the heater

Taylor's homer Sunday was his fifth in July and eighth of the season, according to NBC Sports. Newsday reported it came in his 33rd at-bat since he returned from the injured list on June 28, where he'd been sidelined by a right hip flexor strain.

Since that return, the New York Post reported Taylor has posted a 1.327 OPS over an 18-game stretch. Rising Apple, citing his July numbers, put his slash line at .345/.424/.897 for the month, with four home runs tying him with Juan Soto for the team lead in July before Soto's injury.

That's a hot streak for a player with a career .237 batting average. Taylor himself downplayed any mechanical overhaul behind it. "Nothing too crazy," he told the Post when asked what changed since coming off the IL.

Interim manager Andy Green offered more detail. "A lot of belief, swinging with aggression, swinging with intent to do damage, not letting a bad swing impact his next swing," Green said, according to the Post. "It's been fun to watch him. He's earned obviously more playing time, and he's been huge for us."

Why he's a lock to move

Taylor is set to become a free agent after this season, according to Newsday. For a last-place team not competing this year, an impending free agent playing this well is a textbook trade chip.

He brings more than the recent power surge. The Post noted his defense and speed give him value as a fourth outfielder or platoon piece even in years when his bat is quieter, and Rising Apple made the same point, calling him "an inexpensive good teammate many teams could use on their roster" while cautioning he's "far from the missing piece" for a contender expecting an everyday player.

He won't be the only Met on the move. Newsday reported that starter Freddy Peralta, who allowed three runs over four innings Sunday in what could be his final Mets start, is a pending free agent after the World Series and is expected to be traded within the next eight days as part of what Newsday described as a significant selloff by the club.

Robert's showcase, and Taylor's edge over it

Rising Apple's broader point was a comparison: Luis Robert Jr., acquired earlier and also playing out a contract year, has been swinging for the fences too, but with far less consistency. Robert has homered once per series since coming off the IL, according to Rising Apple, but those homers represent his only hits in July, with a .133 average otherwise. His trade value, the outlet argued, rests more on what teams believe he's capable of than on what he's actually done this month.

Taylor's case is different. He's hitting for both power and average right now, in a small but real sample. Green said he expects Taylor to keep getting run against left-handed pitching in the coming days, which would only add more evidence for teams evaluating him before August 3.

What's unresolved

No trade has been reported. Taylor said he's not focused on the deadline and is trying to stay "present," and Green struck a similar tone, saying, "We're here today, we played to win a baseball game. We'll do the same thing tomorrow."

The open question is what kind of return a 32-year-old rental outfielder with a career .237 average, even one riding a torrid July, actually fetches on the trade market before Monday, August 3. The Mets host the Atlanta Braves starting Monday, with rookie Zac Thornton facing Martín Pérez, giving Taylor at least one more game to add to his case before the deadline arrives.