After an embarrassing four-game sweep at the hands of the Cubs that only accentuated the Mets’ struggles this season at large, the club decided to make a change many thought was imminent months ago: firing manager Carlos Mendoza.
Mendoza’s firing not only puts the microscope on president of baseball operations David Stearns, it also invites plenty of questions about the future of the franchise.
Yet, in the short-term, the plan has never been clearer. The Mets, who have played sub-.500 baseball for over a year now and possess just 4.2% odds of making the postseason in 2026, per FanGraphs, must do what would have been unthinkable heading into the season and sell parts of MLB’s third-most expensive roster at the trade deadline in August.
Unfortunately for Stearns and company, that task may be easier said than done.
Who could the Mets actually trade at the deadline and would they have any takers?
The Mets have been doomed by a combination of injury and underachieving in 2026. Unfortunately, those two evils could make selling at the deadline quite a tough task. Staff ace Freddy Peralta, a free-agent-to-be, has pitched to a 4.53 ERA. Fellow starter Clay Holmes, who was arguably the club’s best starter this season when healthy, is on the 60-day injured list with a fractured right fibula. Bo Bichette, who has a player option for the 2027 season, has posted a 93 wRC+, the 37th-worst mark in baseball.
So, who among the Mets is actually tradeable?
SP Freddy Peralta
Peralta was acquired this past winter to be the Mets’ ace. He’s been anything but. The 4.53 ERA, career-worst 22.0% strikeout rate and 11.1% swinging-strike rate (the second-lowest of his career) are discouraging. But the Mets’ recent trade of David Peterson and his 6.09 ERA to the Cubs proves that there are plenty of teams out there desperate for starting pitching. Plus, Stearns’s history with Peralta in Milwaukee, where he thrived, may allow the Mets executive to blame the righthander’s struggles on the New York factor.
Verdict: Tradeable
INF Bo Bichette
Bichette has been a mixed bag defensively at third base, a position he’s never before played in MLB. That he still rates among the 40 worst hitters in the sport even amidst a month of June in which he’s slashed .340/.360/.596 tells you just how much he’s struggled with the bat this season. Bichette is making $42 million in 2026, has an opt-out after this season and a player option for 2028. The Mets are unlikely to find a team willing to take on Bichette’s subpar production this year at that price tag.
Verdict: Not tradeable
RP Clay Holmes
Stearns is now under scrutiny for some questionable roster moves, but acquiring Holmes and turning him into a starting pitcher was not one of them. In two seasons, The righthander has pitched to a 3.26 ERA in 40 starts. Holmes has a player option at the end of this year, and his uncertain recovery timeline makes his status as a trade chip rather murky.
Verdict: Likely not tradeable
RP Huascar Brazobán
Walks have been a problem, but Brazoban sports a 1.99 ERA and 55.4% groundball rate. In a thin relief pitching market, Brazoban, who comes with three seasons of club control, could be one of the Mets’ most attractive trade chips.
Verdict: Tradeable
RP Luke Weaver
Weaver comes with a year of club control, albeit at a $12.5 million price tag. If the Mets are willing to eat some of that money, there are likely plenty of clubs willing to acquire Weaver, both for his closing experience and his 2.12 ERA this year.
Verdict: Tradeable
RP A.J. Minter
Minter, a free agent after the World Series, is a rental arm, but one who has yet to allow an earned run in 11 innings and boasts a miniscule 2.4% walk rate.
Verdict: Tradeable
RP Brooks Raley
Like Minter, Raley is a rental arm and is 38 years old. But the southpaw has pitched to a sub-2.50 ERA in each of the last two seasons and has been a master of weak contact.
Verdict: Tradeable
1B Jared Young
Young is the best defensive first baseman the Mets have on the roster, has the versatility to play the outfield and has been among the team’s most productive hitters, posting a 115 OPS+ in 37 games while mashing right-handed pitching. Young is the kind of player the Mets should be looking to keep, but he will certainly have some trade value come the deadline.
