The Mets spent the deadline clearing out veterans and stocking the farm, and the volume alone tells you how far this season has slipped. With Fangraphs putting their playoff odds at 0.1%, the club moved eight players since Thursday - and if David Peterson’s June 25 departure is included, that becomes eight prominent MLB players plus one Triple-A depth piece shipped out for prospects. Most of these deals were about shedding expiring money and getting something back, anything back, for short-term rentals.
AJ Minter went to the Twins for Billy Amick and Bruin Agbayani. Minter, a veteran left-hander, missed most of the season and a half he spent with the Mets because of a lat injury.
In 2026, he logged 34.0 innings with a 2.12 ERA and a 3.35 FIP. The return is light: Amick brings power at first base, and Agbayani carries the name of 2000 Met Benny Agbayani, but neither profiles as a premium prospect.
That one gets a C+.
Freddy Peralta was dealt to the Rays for Aidan Smith, Émilien Pitre, and Gary Gill Hill. The Mets had acquired Peralta in the offseason for two then-Top 100 prospects, and he’s been more or less bad all year.
Still, he had enough value to bring back a package with some substance, even if it doesn’t jump off the page. Pitre appears to be the key piece, with Gill Hill offering a possible adjustment project and Smith serving as the extra piece.
That return earns a B.
Huascar Brazobán landed with the White Sox in exchange for Gabe Davis and Zach Franklin. Brazobán was cost-controlled, old by MLB standards, and having the best season of his career.
Franklin looks close to major-league ready and could step into a role similar to Brazobán’s quickly, while Davis is the kind of upside flyer who fits the “lottery ticket” label. The grade here is a B, with the caveat that three seasons of team control after 2026 might have justified a little more coming back.
Brooks Raley was sent to the Phillies for John Spikerman and Luke Gabrysh. Raley has been one of the Mets’ best lefty relievers since 2022, outside the year he missed because of Tommy John Surgery, and his contract is up in the autumn, so moving him was about as close to unavoidable as it gets.
Spikerman is a low-power, glove-first centerfielder, and Gabrysh is a somewhat intriguing High-A starter. That return lands at B+.
Ben Rortvedt was traded to the Dodgers for Chayce McDermott. Rortvedt had been one of the Mets’ minor league catchers after being claimed off waivers from Los Angeles in February, and the Dodgers needed catching depth.
McDermott is a quad-A reliever and occasional spot starter who figures to fill a similar kind of spot on the Mets’ roster. The grade: B.
Luke Weaver went to the Pirates for Samy Stafura. Weaver was one of the most effective relievers in baseball and remained under control through 2027, so the Mets were dealing from a strong position.
Stafura is a New York native, a speedy middle infielder, and he’s on a huge power streak right now. Even with that appeal, the return feels thin for a pitcher this good and this controllable.
That one gets a B-.
Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor were traded to the Cubs for Jefferson Rojas. Holmes has been a very successful reliever-to-starter conversion, though injuries have entered the picture lately, and Taylor has been a veteran fourth outfielder.
Rojas is the second-best prospect in the Cubs’ system and a bottom-tier Top 100 prospect in baseball, which makes this the strongest return of the bunch. It’s the kind of package you’d expect for two players with value and questions attached, though not a haul that knocks you over.
The grade is A-, and it wouldn’t be a shock if the Mets tried to bring one or both back in the offseason.
In Other News...
Mets Just Sent A Bigger Trade Deadline Message Than Fans Expected
The Mets continued to reshape their roster ahead of the trade deadline by moving reliever Huascar Brazobn, a pitcher who still had three seasons left on his contract, in a deal with the White Sox. In return, New York picked up two minor league arms, Gabe Davis and Zach Franklin, both prospects with limited major league experience.
It is the kind of swap that says plenty about where the club is headed right now. Brazobn had been part of the bullpen picture, but the Mets chose to turn a controllable arm into younger pitching depth as they keep working through deadline decisions, and the next moves will say even more about how aggressively they plan to retool. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Deadline Catching Move Could Signal Something Bigger
A catching swap at the deadline gave the Mets a little more pitching depth when they dealt Ben Rortvedt to the Dodgers for right-hander Chayce McDermott. Rortvedt had only briefly been back in the Dodgers organization, but the move fit a familiar pattern for Los Angeles, which has been forced to patch together its catching group because of injuries to Will Smith and Dalton Rushing.
For New York, the deal is notable not just for the arm coming back, but for what it says about how the front office viewed the rest of the market. Rortvedts value to the Dodgers was rooted in his familiarity with the club and the stability he provided during last years injury-hit stretch, and moving him now suggests the Mets were willing to turn a useful depth piece into a return they felt better matched their needs down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Deadline Purge Is Already Hitting Familiar Names
The Mets' deadline reshuffling has already started to put a familiar feel to the churn, with the front office turning over pieces and bringing in prospect capital as the trade market heats up across the league. New York sent Freddy Peralta to the Tampa Bay Rays and moved Huascar Brazobn to the Chicago White Sox, part of a broader stretch of deadline activity that saw clubs around baseball making their own swaps and roster changes before the clock runs out.
On the roster side, the Mets also made room by promoting Robert Stock and Bryce Conley while designating Kevin Herget and MJ Melendez for assignment. For a team trying to thread the needle between present depth and future value, these are the kinds of decisions that can reshape the bullpen and the organizational picture in a hurry, even if the final ripple from this purge is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]