The Mets are heading toward the trade deadline with a roster that looks more like a sell-off than a push, and Kodai Senga is suddenly part of that conversation for all the wrong reasons.
New York sits at 40-57 at the All-Star break, a mark that leaves it third-worst in the Majors and second-to-last in the National League, ahead of only the Colorado Rockies. With that kind of record, the Mets’ attention has shifted to moving MLB players for prospects, with an eye on potentially turning those prospects into pieces for a 2027 push and, this winter, rebuilding the big league roster around Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor.
That’s where Senga comes in. On Tuesday, The Athletic’s Will Sammon was asked about the trade status of the former All-Star, who has already been pushed to the bullpen because of his struggles. Sammon didn’t rule out a deal, but he made clear the market would not be robust.
"I never say never, so maybe. I wouldn’t expect much in return for him, though.
He is owed $14 million for next year," Sammon wrote about Kodai Senga. "He holds a limited no-trade clause.
And he hasn’t been any good. The Mets are doing the prudent thing now in seeing how he performs as a reliever."
The numbers back up the skepticism. In 11 apperances, including seven starts, Senga has posted an 8.69 ERA and allowed 12 home runs in just 39.1 innings. When he was still working out of the rotation, he got past five innings only twice.
The Mets have lost 10 of his 11 outings this season, which only adds to the bleak picture. Maybe another team’s pitching group could look at him and see something to fix mechanically or through pitch adjustments. But for now, the sense is that New York may be stuck with him, and his trade value looks close to nonexistent.
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For the Mets, that kind of conviction is part of the pitch they made when they landed him in free agency, beating out their crosstown rivals for one of the sports biggest names. The larger question now is whether Sotos confidence can travel with him through the second half, because the early returns have only made the choice look more complicated from the outside. [Read more 🡒]
One Mets Prospect Is Finally Giving Fans A Reason To Watch
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Jonathan Santucci provided a different kind of boost on the mound. The left-hander, ranked 12th among Mets prospects, has been sharper since May, and his recent start against Hartford was another step in that direction as he struck out eight while allowing two runs, only one earned. For a system looking to find a few real developments rather than just isolated hot streaks, both performances were the kind worth watching a little longer. [Read more 🡒]