The Mets may be headed for a deadline sell-off, but not the kind that leaves the bullpen stripped to the bone.
That’s the tension hanging over New York right now. David Stearns said in a recent interview with Anthony DiComo that he expects the Mets to be competitive in 2027, which takes a full rebuild off the table.
So while the club is clearly in seller mode at this year’s deadline, the plan looks more selective than reckless. The core stays intact - rookies like A.J.
Ewing and Carson Benge, plus veterans such as Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor - and the pitching side is where most of the moving parts live.
Jeff Passan said he expected the Mets to make as many as six trades in the days before the deadline, with Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes among the more notable names available. There’s also been strong interest in Luke Weaver, and the bullpen could absolutely be part of the sell-off. But the state of the organization’s upper-level pitching depth may push the Mets toward a more careful approach.
That’s where the two Triple-A arms come in, and neither has exactly forced the issue.
Dylan Ross, the Mets’ No. 28 prospect, was a 13th-round pick in 2022 out of the University of Georgia. He was excellent in 2025, putting up a 2.17 ERA and 3.32 FIP over 54 innings.
This season, though, the wheels have come off in Syracuse. In 24.1 innings, Ross has an 8.51 ERA and 6.57 FIP.
The problem starts with the strike zone. His walk rate has climbed from 14.7% in 2025 to 17.7% this year, and only 40.2% of his pitches in Triple-A have landed in the zone.
He can still miss bats when he gets the ball where he wants it, but the misses have come with damage. His barrel rate has jumped from 1.5% last year to 7.6% in 2026.
Ryan Lambert’s season has followed a very similar path. The 8th-round pick out of the University of Oklahoma in 2024 was sharp last year, posting a 1.62 ERA and 2.13 FIP across 50 minor league innings. In 2026, his ERA has climbed to 6.35, and his FIP has risen to 6.05.
Lambert has shown a little more control than Ross, but not enough to change the bigger picture. He’s generally in the zone more often, especially with his fastball, yet he’s still handing out walks at a 21.7% clip.
His two-pitch arsenal grades well in Stuff+, but poor location has put hitters in the driver’s seat. Like Ross, he can generate swing-and-miss.
Unlike a reliever ready to help a contender, he’s spending too much time giving away traffic.
That’s why the Mets may have to resist the urge to clear out every bullpen arm they can move. If Stearns really means 2027, the club still needs some usable relief help in place. Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, and Huascar Brazobán could all be shopped, but New York can’t afford to empty the cupboard completely just yet.
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