It's been a while since the Mets were the team everyone in baseball was calling about for the wrong reasons. Coming off a disappointing year with a roster that was supposed to contend, New York now looks like the most fascinating sell-side story of the summer. Jon Heyman didn't hedge about it either, dropping a full rundown of the players who could realistically be had before the deadline, complete with value ratings attached to each name.
https://t.co/jXGcQeQLmx MLB Insider: A dozen to dangle — 12 Mets who may go in trade (and value ratings for each)
The list reads like a going-out-of-business sale. Freddy Peralta sits at the top of it, the kind of controllable starter every contender wants in October even with an ERA that's crept up as the season wore on. Behind him are the classic rental relievers, Brooks Raley and AJ Minter, both having strong walk-year seasons out of the bullpen, plus names like Luke Weaver and Clay Holmes rounding out a pitching staff that suddenly looks like the Mets' most valuable trade chip.
A day later, Heyman didn't back off the idea, he leaned further in. His follow-up column framed a full sell-off as the expectation in Queens, not just a possibility, with the caveat that there's no obvious star-caliber free agent about to hit the open market fully healthy, which only pushes desperate buyers toward overpaying for what the Mets do have.
https://t.co/jXGcQeQLmx Column: Mets selling season should be here. 12 players who could go (no free agents starring in prime 100 pct healthy, but in an extreme sellers market they may get a few overpays)
The August 3 deadline is the hard stop here, and it's forcing New York into a version of the calculus every fading contender faces: cash in the expiring pieces now or risk losing them for nothing in the winter. Raley and Minter are exactly the type of rentals that vanish off boards fast in a thin reliever market, and reports have also floated Francisco Alvarez as a name who could bring back big-league-ready pitching or help at another spot. Bo Bichette, by contrast, looks like one of the tougher pieces to actually move given his contract situation.
For bettors and fantasy managers, this is about as clear a roadmap as an insider offers this time of year, a dozen specific names with values attached instead of the usual vague front-office speak. The next few weeks will be about watching which of those 12 actually get moved, and for how much, as the Mets try to turn a lost season into next year's foundation.