A long trade deadline awaits the New York Mets

The New York Mets entered 2025 with their heads up, eyes forward, course set for serious World Series contention.

After knocking Pirates ace Paul Skenes out in the first inning on Opening Day, optimism was high. No Pete Alonso? No problem! Edwin Diaz and his trumpets leaving for LA? No worries! Devin Williams and his three-year deal will fill the void.

Better yet, team president David Stearns called in a familiar face from his Milwaukee days: righty ace Freddy Peralta.

Today is July 27, 2026. The New York Mets are not only out of the playoffs, but profoundly so. Carlos Mendoza was let go as manager a month ago and former Padres skipper Andy Green has stepped in. The Mets have gone 10-15 since.

Worse yet, Peralta has all but certainly made his final start in orange and blue. He pitched four innings in a no-decision on Sunday as the Mets rallied to beat the Dodgers 8-3 and avoid a sweep.

Peralta was very matter of fact about being traded, telling media “if it happens, it happens.”

“I’m thankful and grateful to be part of this organization, he said. “I know that, so far, I’ve let them down. I haven’t done what I’m supposed to do. But I’m grateful to be here.”

Except for one thing. Peralta isn’t exactly a top-of-the-line trade piece. His 4.99 ERA and 1.48 WHIP are career lows since becoming a full-time starter. Pitching in a big market also exposed a key flaw: Peralta has a hard time lasting beyond five innings. His overall command has officially shifted to a below average 96 Stuff+.

All this to say: How much can the Mets actually expect back in a trade for him? Maybe some solid minor league names, but otherwise? The only MLB talent coming back will probably be a middle reliever and/or utility player. Maybe a back-end starter if Stearns is lucky.

In fact, Mets fans should expect that and, sadly, worse once the August 3 deadline has come and gone. The farm system is already stretched pretty thin and the team doesn’t have many valuable trade pieces as it is.

Sorry, folks. A long week awaits, and Peralta is just the tip of the iceberg.

Bo Bichette is batting .307 since June 1, but still only has an 89 wRC+, eleven points below league average. He’s only making $2 million in base salary this year, but otherwise has two years and $84 million left on his deal. And worse yet, the second year contains an opt-out clause. Is Bichette really going to leave all that money on the table after this bad of a season?

What’s Stearns to do? Trade fan favorite Francisco Lindor with five years left on his deal at over $32 million a year? Maybe, but that’d include the Mets eating some money same as they would if they were to deal Bichette. Sean Manaea is an expensive shell of himself. Clay Holmes is streaky and currently out with a broken leg.

That leaves two feasible trade chips: injury prone outfielder Luis Robert Jr. and setup man Luke Weaver. Robert is an expiring contract and only 2 for 15 since returning from the injured list exactly a week ago. However, those two hits are home runs and Robert’s raw power speaks for itself when he’s healthy. He should at least fetch some high-upside minor league pitching and maybe a mid-level farm bat.

Weaver, however, is a different story. The former Yankee signed a two-year deal in the offseason, overcame a rough April, and then didn’t give up an earned run for two months. He has a ridiculous 0.30 ERA and 2.11 FIP since May 1, and was the Yankees’ postseason closer in 2024.

Sounds like the exact type of arm teams would want to have in their bullpen ahead of a playoff push, doesn’t he? It appears the front office thinks so too, as SNY’s Chelsea Janes pointed out Weaver’s relatively low price tag and being under contract through 2027.

If a team is going to overpay for any Mets player, it’s going to be Weaver.

Therein lies the Mets’ problem with the upcoming trade deadline. They’re essentially selling the team off for parts, save for Weaver. Not a great look if the deadline’s successes or failures hinge on trading one high-leverage reliever.

It’d obviously be different if the Mets were in the playoff hunt, but by how much? The minor league depth was already kind of stretched thin with few actual MLB-ready names. Even if Stearns offered up guys like Ryan Clifford—currently putting up Joey Gallo numbers at Triple-A Syracuse—or even A.J. Ewing and the wildly unpredictable Jonah Tong. Trying to sell other teams on the Mets’ minor league depth was no different than trying to squeeze blood from a stone.

Just ask Sproat, whose growing pains have yielded a 5.09 ERA in 19 games (17 starts) and 86.2 innings in Milwaukee. Or Williams, who has only hit .234 with nine home runs at the Brewers’ Triple-A Nashville affiliate.

Strap in, fans. This week is going to be long, hard, and likely disappointing.

Brand new trade deadline, same old New York Mets.