The New York Mets have been arguably the hottest team in baseball in the month of June. With an influx of wins, the Mets are now reconsidering their MLB trade deadline strategy.
Ultimately, New York has not made any final decisions on how they will approach the deadline. While they seemed like obvious sellers for most of the season, the Mets have worked their way back to .500 at 39-39 on the year. How the team performs up until the deadline will majorly dictate how New York ends up functioning at the deadline, via Will Sammon, Katie Woo and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic.
Whether the Mets choose to be buyers or sellers, New York has a clear path to both strategies. In the midst of their hot June, the Mets have gotten squarely into the Wild Card race and sit just one game back of the final spot. They can add at the deadline, making a strong push to secure one of those spots.
But even with all that winning, New York is still just .500 on the season. Players like Pete Alonso, JD Martinez and Luis Severino would likely fetch a pretty penny on the trade market. The Mets can even further bolster their farm system with a trade of any of the three.
Maybe the Mets take a hybrid approach. They trade away some talent while not selling the whole team. That way, New York can capitalize on their trade value now without having to sacrifice much short-team success.
The play on the field will determine which of the three roads the Mets walk down. If they keep stacking up the wins, it'd be difficult to see New York become hard sellers.
Best Mets trade candidates
Even in their ongoing hot streak, Pete Alonso's future in New York is still questionable. Set to be a free agent after the season, the first baseman would bring in a hefty haul. However, spending his entire career with the Mets, the team could also look to lock Alonso up to a long-term extension.
Through 78 games in 2024, Alonso is hitting .241 with 16 home runs and 43 RBI. One of the best power hitters in the game, New York's strategy with their star slugging will be a key talking point at the deadline.
Martinez hasn't been with the team that long, he's only been with the Mets for 52 games to be exact. But in that time he has hit .287 with nine home runs and 34 RBI. Martinez has been one of the strongest hitters in MLB history in recent years, making the All-Star Game five of the last six seasons.
But like Alonso, Martinez is set to be a free agent after the season. With the potential to lose him in free agency, New York could look to recoup some prospect capital in return. Or they could hold onto him and look to extend him come summer.
Luis Severino makes up the third Mets star set to hit free agency after the season. He has dazzled since joining the team, throwing to a 5-2 record with a 3.29 ERA and a 71/31 K/BB ratio. Severino has helped stabilize a rotation in need of pitching and will make for one of the more intriguing trade candidates should he be made available.
If Steve Cohen were Shakespeare, the 2024 trade deadline would be his, “to be, or not to be,” moment. He has plenty of trade ammunition, but the Mets are now starting to actually look like contenders. Eventually the team will have to make up their mind. But with New York's sudden surge, the decision has become much more difficult.
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