The Mets have been telegraphing this for weeks, but Jon Heyman just put it in writing with actual names attached. Sitting well under .500 with a playoff picture that's basically over, New York is heading toward the August 3 deadline as sellers, and Heyman's rundown of a dozen guys who could be dangled is the closest thing to a roadmap fans have gotten so far.
https://t.co/jXGcQeQLmx MLB Insider: A dozen to dangle — 12 Mets who may go in trade (and value ratings for each)
Freddy Peralta is the headliner and reportedly close to a lock to be moved. He's on an $8 million salary, hitting free agency after the season, and his numbers have taken a hit this year, which actually makes him an easier sell than a guy performing at peak value would be — cheaper for a buyer to absorb, no long-term commitment attached.
The bullpen is where things get interesting for contenders. Clay Holmes, A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver have all been floated as pieces other teams could use down the stretch. Holmes in particular is considered the most compelling rental — he's got a $12 million player option he's expected to decline, which puts him squarely on the market. Relievers move the deadline needle every year, and the Mets have a handful worth calling about.
It's not just rentals and rotation arms, either. Francisco Alvarez has come up in the conversation as someone who could fetch pitching or hitting help if the Mets decide to shake up the middle of the roster rather than just clean out the pending free agents. That's a bigger swing than moving a two-month rental, and it says something about how open this front office is willing to be.
Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto are the two guys not going anywhere, mostly because their contracts make them impossible to move even if the Mets wanted to. That's the split Heyman's list draws — the untouchables locked in for the long haul, and everyone else fair game. The Mets already tested the market by sending David Peterson to the Cubs for prospect Cole Mathis, so this isn't a hypothetical. They're actively working the phones, and Heyman's dozen is basically the shopping list.
With three weeks left before the deadline, expect names to start peeling off that list one by one. Peralta feels like the first domino, and every reliever deal after that will set the market for what the rest are worth. For a fan base used to big swings, this is a very different kind of July — but at 15-plus games under .500, selling is the only version of this that makes sense.