The deadline sale in Queens appears to be underway. Chelsea Janes of SNY and Jon Heyman of The New York Post each report that the 41-57 Mets are informing other teams they’re willing to begin trade conversations on the majority of the roster.
Both reports suggest the Mets aren’t interested in moving Juan Soto or any of their four core young players: Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing. Everyone else appears to be available, though the Mets obviously aren’t going to line up trades for 80% of their roster. Let’s run through some of the possibilities.
Big-Name Infielders On Huge Contracts
Francisco Lindor is signed for $32MM per season through 2031. He finished in the top 10 in MVP balloting each season from 2022-25. He’s not going to come close to that this year, as he’s hitting just .210/.291/.363 across 175 plate appearances. The five-time All-Star has had some unexpected defensive lapses and missed two months with a left calf strain.
The contract, lack of production and Lindor’s age (33 in November) all make him unlikely to move, as owner Steve Cohen acknowledged a few weeks ago in an appearance on The New York Post’s podcast. Lindor also has full no-trade protection as a player with 10-and-5 rights (10 years of service time, the last five of which have come with one team).
Bo Bichette doesn’t have the long-term commitment but is signed for $42MM annually for the 2027-28 seasons. He can opt out after this season or next. Most of Bichette’s 2026 commitments were paid out in the form of a $40MM signing bonus, so he’s only playing on a $2MM salary this year. It’s the future money and opt-out provisions that would prevent another team from taking on that commitment.
[Related: Mets Trade Deadline Outlook]
New York could contemplate some kind of conditional cash considerations for future seasons if Bichette doesn’t opt out. The two-time All-Star has an underwhelming .253/.297/.372 batting line through 417 plate appearances. Bichette has gotten going since the beginning of June. A trade would be complicated by the need to pay down a big portion of the contract for what’d be a middling prospect return, especially if the Mets view a hopefully resurgent Bichette as a key piece of the 2027 roster.
Shorter-Term Trade Chips
While a Lindor or Bichette trade would be a long shot, the Mets have a few other players they easily could — and probably will — move. Freddy Peralta, Clay Holmes, A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley headline their group of impending free agents. (Holmes has a $12MM player option that he’s likely to decline.) Luke Weaver is playing on an $8MM salary and signed for next year at $11MM.
Peralta is one of the most obvious trade chips in the game. Extension talks this spring didn’t get far, seemingly due to a holdup on contract length. Peralta is having his worst season since his 2021 breakout, allowing a 4.66 ERA with a career-low 22.3% strikeout rate.
Those are fourth starter numbers, but he’ll still be a prime trade candidate one year removed from a top five finish in Cy Young voting. Peralta’s $8MM salary remains a bargain, and he’d be a lock to decline a qualifying offer if the Mets hold him all season. They’d only receive a compensatory pick after the fourth round if he signs elsewhere; they’ll do better than that in a trade within the next three weeks.
Holmes’ situation is more complicated, as he’s unlikely to pitch before the deadline as he rehabs a May fibula fracture. The 33-year-old righty had pitched well over his first nine starts. He’s a more realistic candidate to accept an approximate $23MM qualifying offer for next season if the Mets proposed it. Holmes says he’s open to an extension instead of a trade, and Janes writes that the sides are indeed expected to have those conversations before the August 3 deadline. Holmes’ trade value isn’t going to change over the next few weeks, so they could take the extension talks right up to the deadline before deciding on a course of action.
Minter and Raley are solid rental lefty relievers. The Mets will probably need to eat a portion of Minter’s $11MM salary. He has a 1.42 ERA with 17 strikeouts and only one walk in 19 innings since returning from last year’s lat surgery. Minter’s average fastball speed has dipped to a career-low 92.9 mph and he’s not missing quite as many bats as he did during his best seasons with the Braves. He has plenty of high-leverage experience and is still getting excellent results, though.
Raley is a soft tosser who excels at avoiding hard contact. He’s playing on an affordable $4.75MM contract and owns a 2.02 ERA through 35 2/3 innings. He has fanned a quarter of opponents against a 9.3% walk rate. Even if it’s not the flashiest profile, he’s a clear fit for a contending bullpen and a virtual lock to be moved.
Weaver is the best of New York’s bullpen trade chips. The 32-year-old righty has been their top free agent signing from last winter. Weaver hadn’t allowed an earned run since the end of April until giving up a Trea Turner solo home run tonight. He has fired 40 frames of 2.03 ERA ball while striking out 28% of opponents against a 7.1% walk percentage. He’s getting swinging strikes at a 15% rate and while the Mets have used him in a setup role, he had a bit of closing experience with the Yankees. The extra year under contract gives the Mets a little more leverage, but they’re likely to cash him in at the deadline when trade prices for relievers are highest.
Controllable Trade Candidates
Among this group, it’s most notable that the Mets apparently aren’t completely shutting the door on catcher Francisco Alvarez. He popped two home runs tonight and is up to a .259/.325/.448 line on the season. Alvarez is a clear step below the game’s best catchers, but he’s a well above-average hitter for the position with legitimate plus power. There are more questions defensively, as he’s prone to passed balls and not great at controlling the running game. He did grade very highly as a pitch framer early in his career but has tailed off in that regard over the last two seasons.
The Mets control the 24-year-old backstop for three seasons beyond this one. It’d be a surprise if they moved him, though it seems they’re at least open to the possibility of another team blowing them away. Alvarez has been nicked up a couple times over the last two seasons, missing time with hand injuries last year and meniscus surgery in his right knee this season.
New York could probably get a bigger haul for Alvarez than for any of their other plausible trade candidates. It’d leave them without a clear answer behind the plate in 2027. They don’t have any top catching prospects waiting in the wings. The Mets extended backup catcher Luis Torrens in May, but he’s a defensive specialist who fits best as a complementary player. If they did trade Alvarez, they’d probably need to make a free agent run at Ryan Jeffers, Tyler Stephenson or Carson Kelly in the offseason.
Huascar Brazobán is an under-the-radar bullpen chip. He’s cheaply controllable for three more seasons, but the late bloomer is approaching his 37th birthday. That’s not the kind of player a selling team is going to take off the market. Brazobán has a 2.70 ERA with a league average strikeout rate and 54% grounder percentage across 46 2/3 innings. His below-average command might keep him in middle relief for a contender. The affordability and an excellent sinker-changeup combination should draw attention from other clubs.
Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos have found themselves in rumors for years. They’re all having rough 2026 campaigns. Baty was an above-average regular last season and seems the most desirable of the trio as a change of scenery candidate. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com writes that the Mets are expected to receive interest in Baty, albeit more as a buy-low type.
Vientos popped 27 homers two seasons ago but hasn’t hit since then and has no defensive value. He’s also out of options. Mauricio will be out of options next year. He’s a former top prospect with big tools but an extremely aggressive approach which big league pitchers have exploited in his scattered looks. He’s a .226/.278/.345 hitter in 104 career games and currently in Triple-A. Mauricio and Vientos might both be fighting to hold spots on a 40-man roster by next spring. They’ll have modest value at best.
Underwater Contracts
It’s no surprise the Mets would be willing to discuss players like Jorge Polanco, Sean Manaea, Luis Robert Jr., Kodai Senga, Devin Williams and Marcus Semien — all of whom are on unappealing contracts. The Mets could find a taker for Williams if they paid some of his $51MM deal down, though that might not be worth it considering they’re already going to need to replace a lot of the aforementioned relievers.
Robert, currently rehabbing from a back injury, could net a lottery ticket type prospect if the Mets eat the remainder of his $20MM salary. Manaea has been alright as a starter, but the Mets would again need to cover most of his $25MM salaries for this year and next. Polanco, Senga and Semien seem pretty close to immovable given their respective contracts and performances/injuries this year.
