Every time it looks like the Mets are about to go on a run, they find a way to bring us back down to Earth. That happened in May with their five-game win streak, as well as in July with their six-game win streak.
And then on Tuesday to open up the Subway Series, they looked great in a 9-3 win. But of course, they followed that up by having the bats go silent in a 3-1 loss. As it currently stands, FanGraphs has New York’s chances of reaching the postseason at 13.8% ahead of a four-game series against the Washington Nationals.
After splitting those two games in the Bronx against the Yankees, SNY’s Andy Martino reported the Mets are moving closer to becoming a trade-deadline seller. That’s mostly noted by executives of opposing teams who are “exchanging names and trade concepts” with New York, per Martino.
If this weekend against the Nats doesn’t go well, which players are most likely to be traded? That’d be the same three names we’ve been hearing about for the last couple of weeks: Tommy Pham, Mark Canha, and David Robertson. Pham and Robertson are both on one-year deals, while Canha can be under team control in 2024 by way of a club option.
Martino also noted that at this time, there hasn’t been much interest or dialogue involving Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer. (So, yea — it looks like that JV-back-to-the-Astros rumor was bogus, just like we thought.)
At the start of the week, we heard about the Mets being “measured sellers“. This checks out with their rumored actions should they go into full sell mode. General manager Billy Eppler would surely be opened-minded on trade concepts involving lots of his players. But then again, it’s not like the Mets are doing a complete teardown. They want to come right back and try to compete in 2024.
Holding onto guys who are still under contract for next season, such as relievers Adam Ottavino and Brooks Raley, makes a lot of sense. Plus, what if New York brings in a President of Baseball Operations (*cough* David Stearns *cough*)? Team owner Steve Cohen would probably like that person to make decisions about the immediate future.
So, what kind of performance will it take for the front office to hold off on selling? The last-place Nats are in town, who enter Thursday’s series opener with a 43-59 record. I’d say it’ll take at least three wins in their next four games. Anything less than that, and I’d be shocked if New York didn’t immediately commit to selling off some players.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
