The last-place Mets are all but guaranteed to be sellers at the trade deadline, and reports are already surfacing in terms of who could be moved before Aug. 3.
According to MLB insider Jim Bowden of Foul Territory and The Athletic, Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens are among the players that New York is actively shopping ahead of the deadline. Such a move would of course decimate the team's catching depth, but as the Mets hover near 20 games below .500, David Stearns and company are likely looking to once again shake up this roster and acquire assets to help the 2027 club and beyond.
Torrens is signed through 2028 and holds a .618 OPS on the season. The former hyped prospect and oft-injured Alvarez is not a free agent until 2030, and is holding a solid .781 OPS at the deadline. The remaining years of team control could entice other teams to bite on a trade.
On the pitching side, Bowden also reported that contending teams are showing more interest in Clay Holmes than Freddy Peralta, both of whom are considered to be top candidates to be traded before the deadline. Holmes has been on the IL since leaving his May 15 start after taking a line drive off his leg, but before his injury, was pitching to a stellar 2.39 ERA in nine starts. Peralta, arguably the Mets' prized offseason acquisition, has been a disaster, pitching to a 4.99 ERA. He candidly admitted that Sunday could have been his last start as a Met, but Bowden believes Holmes might garner the most interest.
Of course, there is a good chance both pitchers are traded, as multiple reports indicate that nearly every member of the roster is there for the taking, save for their new young core (A.J. Ewing, Carson Benge, Christian Scott, Nolan McLean, etc.) and Juan Soto. Stearns told reporters that ownership has made it clear that the objective is to compete in 2027, so the Mets could be looking to acquire players deemed ready to contribute to the big-league club sooner than later. However, Steve Cohen himself has recently stated his disappointment in the regression of the team's farm system, so that may need to be restocked as well. While the Mets seemingly have a clear destination as sellers in 2026, the path forward is still murky, as the past season and a half has been nothing short of disastrous.
New York could be preparing to part with several players before the trade deadline.
New York could be preparing to part with several players before the trade deadline.
