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,

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.

The Mets found their center fielder. David Stearns & Co. are trading for Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins, The Post confirmed Thursday, in a move they hope will fix their biggest position-player hole. The Post’s Joel Sherman reported the Mets will send three righty pitching prospects to Baltimore: Anthony Nunez (their No.