Freddy Peralta’s sinking trade value has changed the math for the New York Mets, and it leaves the return looking a lot less appealing than it once did. Teams will still call, because a contending club can always talk itself into a buy-low move. But for some of Peralta’s Mets teammates, that kind of market just isn’t there anymore.
Kodai Senga is in a different lane entirely. He’s not really being treated like a normal trade piece at this point, and the Mets may be closer to moving on from him than trying to deal him. That puts him in his own bucket.
For the rest of the group, the picture is much simpler: their value has cratered.
Tobias Myers was the kind of arm who could have quietly brought something back when the Mets were struggling and he was pitching well. That window has slammed shut.
Myers owns a 6.14 ERA after allowing a run in 2 innings Wednesday night, and his spot on the roster is looking more complicated by the day. His last minor league option may already be gone, or at least in serious danger of being used up.
He could still work his way into next year’s longman role, but that would look more like a mop-up assignment unless something changes in a big way.
MJ Melendez had a brief stretch that made him look like a real lineup weapon. For a moment, he was hitting .345 and driving the ball in the middle of the Mets order.
Then the bottom fell out. In May, he hit .128.
Before his demotion in June, he was batting .159. The bigger truth is hard to miss now: Melendez just hasn’t hit well enough at the major league level to justify a roster spot.
He’s sitting on a .192 batting average with a 34.7% strikeout rate, and while he could surface again with some openings coming, he’s not part of the Mets’ future beyond 2026.
Austin Warren’s stock took a hit in a hurry. He landed on the IL after a Tuesday outing in which he gave up 5 earned runs without retiring a batter, and that came right after he allowed 4 earned runs over 2 innings in his previous appearance.
Even before the injury, the numbers were working against him: a 4.63 ERA and 1.48 WHIP. He’s been optioned twice this season, but with what appears to be fewer than 20 days in the minors, the Mets could have him back next year.
No one is lining up to give them anything for him at the deadline, though.
Jared Young’s early shine has worn off some, even if he still offers more glove than Mark Vientos. His bat hasn’t separated itself enough to make him a clear solution, and Wednesday’s hit by pitch with the bases loaded was about as messy a version of hero ball as you’ll find.
His OPS has slipped below .700, and his .227 average now looks a lot like the player he was last year: occasional power, not much steady production. The Mets would probably be better off keeping him, seeing what the offseason brings, and maybe using a remaining minor league option.
Cionel Perez may still have a path to sticking around, mostly because he’s a lefty who gets ground balls. That said, the bar was never high for him.
He was always more of a minor league flier than a real asset, and there’s not much reason for the Mets to expect a meaningful return. He’ll be a very poor man’s A.J.
Minter or Brooks Raley, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he simply makes it past the deadline because nobody offers anything and the Mets need another arm.
In Other News...
Andy Green Is Setting A Mets Standard Fans Have Wanted
Two weeks into his run, Andy Green is already drawing a clear line for the Mets: the bar is going up, and he expects players to meet it. For a club that is no longer being judged only by the standings, that matters. The Mets are headed into a stretch where development will matter as much as results, and Green has wasted little time making higher standards and accountability part of the daily message, especially for younger players such as Christian Scott and Brett Baty.
What stands out is how direct Green has been compared with Carlos Mendoza, who was often more guarded in public. Green has been more willing to offer honest assessments and push for improvement rather than cushion the message, and that tone is starting to shape the way the roster is being viewed. Batys recent progress has fit neatly into that environment, while Scotts latest outing showed that even encouraging signs still come with the expectation of more. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Just Made A Vientos Replacement Move Fans Will Hate
The Mets had to shuffle their infield depth after Mark Vientos landed on the injured list, and the move they made says plenty about how they want to handle the short-term gap. Zack Short was the one added to the roster, a familiar glove-first option who gives the club another capable defender while it waits for the next turn in the lineup.
Shorts arrival also leaves some obvious questions hanging over the rest of the bench mix. Christian Arroyo had just re-signed a minor league deal and has done more with the bat in the minors, while Ronny Mauricio was another name in the conversation, but the Mets went in a different direction for now. For a team trying to stay afloat in the middle of the season, it is the kind of choice that prioritizes stability in the field even if it does not do much to excite anyone looking for offense. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Hot Stretch Just Made Stearns Deadline Call Much Tougher
The Mets recent surge has given the front office a very different kind of deadline problem than the one it was staring at a couple of weeks ago. A series win over the Royals snapped a drought that had stretched nearly a month, and the offense has suddenly looked like a club that can do damage in a hurry, with six or more runs in five straight games. That kind of run changes the tone around the roster, because it makes it harder to separate what needs fixing from what might just be heating up at the right time.
Mark Vientos hand injury only adds another layer to the uncertainty as the deadline gets closer. The Mets still have to sort out how they want to handle the roster in the short term and where players such as A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge fit into the bigger picture, but the hotter the lineup looks, the less straightforward those calls become. For a team trying to balance present momentum with future planning, the next decision may matter as much as the last series did. [Read more 🡒]