The New York Mets have emerged as likely sellers as we near the non-waiver trade deadline, and almost everyone is going to be fair game — outside of a few exceptions.
Thinking that the New York Mets would probably end up selling off a few pieces of their roster at the trade deadline would’ve been preposterous a couple months ago. But, you know, this is baseball, and things can change quickly.
As July 31 continues creeping closer, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Mets are “ready to entertain trade offers for virtually everyone.” That certainly adds fuel to the fire that is the trade rumor mill.
While the above statement makes it seem as if nobody is untouchable at the right price, the organization reportedly would like to keep Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, Robert Gsellman, and Seth Lugo in the orange and blue. And if they had to choose one of their stud pitchers to deal, Jacob deGrom would be the preferred one to hold onto, not Noah Syndergaard.
None of this should be surprising as New York’s season is in a complete tailspin. The front office reloaded with what appeared to be key veterans over the winter, but it’s not working. So, as Rosenthal points out, the priority in any potential sell-off for the Mets is to get younger and more athletic, which they really need to do.
It’s also not surprising to hear about the above players they’d like to keep. Outside of deGrom — who is under team control through 2020 — none of them will hit free agency before the 2021 season. Has this year been a nightmare since the start of May? You bet it has, but there are still some solid building blocks available that makes a total teardown not absolutely necessary.
Having this kind of mindset is really the only way to go, too. All New York has to do is look around the National League East — outside of the Miami Marlins, every other club has plenty of intriguing young talent either at the big-league level or in the upper minors. Standing pat and hoping things turn around isn’t going to work for the Mets, whether we’re talking about this year or in the immediate future.
As long as they prove to be healthy, it seems as if Jeurys Familia and Asdrubal Cabrera are the most likely players to get traded at this point. However, arguments can be made for a number of others, such as Devin Mesoraco, Todd Frazier, and Wilmer Flores (unless the deal falls through again).
What happens over the next month and a half will have a tremendous impact on the future of this organization, and it doesn’t have much to do with the actual on-field play. It’s good to hear that New York is being open-minded about trading players away, but mostly because, well, what other option is there right now?
