​Following a second-half collapse of historic proportions, the New York Mets spent the recent offseason reinventing themselves. They let franchise icon Pete Alonso depart for Baltimore in free agency, traded longtime Met Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien, watched their two-time NL Reliever of the Year Edwin Díaz move on to the Dodgers, signed former Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette to play third base, agreed with former Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco to take first, acquired former Brewers ace Freddy Peralta in a trade, and brought in Luke Weaver and Devin Williams from the Yankees to bolster the bullpen. The result: a 38-53 record heading into last night’s chaotic 16-12 loss, with manager Carlos Mendoza benched late last month and the club firmly positioned as a seller as the Trade Deadline nears.
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For a team performing as poorly as they are—the Mets’ Pythagorean record sits at 39-52, indicating that their disappointing results aren’t simply luck—the roster actually features a sizable contingent of players who could fetch significant value on the market. This underscores the notion that the team’s record has been worse than the sum of its parts. While Anthony DiComo’s line that “the Mets would do well to consider trades for anything not nailed to the floor” may feel overstated—he lists only Nolan McLean, A.J. Ewing, and Carson Benge as safe bets and casts Juan Soto as “too expensive to deal easily,” overlooking the fact that teams typically don’t trade players signed to 15-year contracts—the reality is that there are valid conversations to be had about nearly every asset on the roster.
Despite high-profile meltdowns from Devin Williams, the Mets have quietly assembled one of baseball’s better bullpen units this season, ranking sixth in fWAR (3.6) and posting a 3.69 ERA, with a 15.8% strikeout-to-walk rate that sits third in the game. After a rough start to the year, Weaver has reclaimed his 2024 form that helped the Yankees to the World Series, posting an earned-run streak-free run since April 30 and piling up 34 strikeouts over 26 innings while allowing only 18 baserunners in that span. Huascar Brazobán has also been superb at limiting soft contact, providing length out of the bullpen and performing in high-leverage spots. Notably, both Weaver and Brazobán are under team control for next season. Left-handers A.J. Minter (0.56 ERA in 16 innings) and Brooks Raley (2.23 ERA in 32 innings) are both impending free agents, which means they could serve as affordable, value-positive rentals if moved, while also keeping cost in check.
The Mets’ rotation hasn’t matched the bullpen’s performance, but it remains capable of drawing interest. Clay Holmes is currently on the 60-day injured list with a broken leg suffered when he was struck by a comebacker off Spencer Jones on May 15. He is expected to begin a rehab assignment after the All-Star break. Holmes, a former Yankees closer, has shown better proficiency in the starting role than would have been predicted, making him a potential example of the kinds of pieces that could be moved or leveraged in a broader strategic reset. In sum, while the bullpen has carried much of the weight and the farmstead of talent suggests several avenues for trades, the Mets’ overall mix of depth and upside could make them particularly attractive at the deadline as they negotiate the balance between contending talent and building for the future.