The Mets, in the midst of perhaps the most disappointing season of any club in baseball, enter the trade deadline as clear sellers. They will not trade Juan Soto or promising new talents like Nolan McLean, Carson Benge, AJ Ewing again Christian Scott. It is unlikely that they will be able to find a way around a large part of the Francisco Lindorthe remaining guarantee and his complete non-trade protection. Interaction Bo Bichette and many of his exit options also seem remote. Besides, many members of the Mets roster will see their names thrown around the rumor mill in the next few weeks.
One thing the Mets don’t intend to do this time around, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post, is eat money to facilitate a trade. The Mets kicked in about $36MM during the trade Max Scherzer to the Rangers in 2023 and another $35MM deal in the trade we sent Justin Verlander I returned to Houston a few days later. That kind of spending is clearly not in the cards when it comes to the upcoming trade deadline.
Paying off the remaining contracts of some of their more attractive trade chips would allow the Mets to secure larger gains, but it would mean continuing to pay not only that salary but also a higher tax on them as a team in the top tier of the luxury tax penalty. The Mets don’t have a well-regarded farm system at this point — Baseball America ranked them 24th in its July update — but that’s partly due to players like Benge, Ewing and McLean all graduating this offseason. He is twenty-four years old Zach Thornton you are on your way to doing the same.
A Lindor trade already seemed unlikely, but if the Mets aren’t going to take any of the five years and $160MM left beyond the current season, it’s all but impossible (unless there’s a long-term scenario that sees them take on another hefty contract in return – though they’d still need Lindor to sign for that trip). Pricey veterans love it Marcus Semien, Jorge Polanco, Sean Manaea again Luis Robert Jr. it will be difficult to deal with them without investing money. Nearby Devin Williams it hit another bull. He still has a 3.16 ERA in 25 2/3 innings dating back to late April, but since he was owed $34MM in 2027-28 (albeit $10MM deferred), he’ll be a tough sell, too.
That doesn’t mean the Mets won’t trade both veteran players, cut spending and add some minor league talent. Freddy Peralta ($8MM salary), Clay Holmes ($13MM salary, $12MM player option), AJ Minter ($11MM salary), Brooks Raley ($4.75MM salary and allowances) and Luke Weaver ($8MM in ’26, $11MM in ’27) were all signed to deals so lucrative that competing clubs would want them even without the financial help to grease the wheels in exchange. As of this writing, that team is owed another $16.1MM in salary through 2026. The Mets owe another $18.79MM in luxury tax on that amount. Dealing with that quintet will shave about $35MM off the books.
There are other commercial candidates to consider. Catchers Francisco Alvarez ($2.4MM salary, arb-eligible until 2029) and Luis Torrens ($2.275MM in ’26, $5.75MM annually in 2027-28) both would attract interest. The liberator Huascar Brazoban ($1.05MM in ’26, arb-eligible to 2029) could also draw some looks. The one who plays outside Tyrone Taylor ($3.8MM salary) doesn’t hit great, but he eats badly, runs well and can play all three outfield positions. He can be a piece of the bench for the opponent.
As can be seen in MLBTR’s recently released Payroll Tracker – available to Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers – the Mets have the second highest CBT/luxury tax payroll in sports. Their total of $380,594,134 is behind only the Dodgers. There’s no hope of going under the tax cap once they’re over $244MM of the first cap, but shedding those contracts could still cut a nice chunk off the books in 2026 and – in the case of Weaver and Holmes – without a paycheck in 2027 (where Frankie Montas$17MM in dead money will also come off the books).
