Coming off a 101-win season, the New York Mets went all-in on building the best roster possible this past offseason. The result? The most expensive payroll in baseball, and unfortunately, a team that isn’t even competing for a spot in the NL playoff race.
Because of their struggles, we’re hearing rumors of the Mets possibly becoming sellers ahead of the fast-approaching Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline. With the Mets sitting 18 games back of first place in the NL West and seven games behind a Wild Card spot, swapping out some spare parts could make a lot of sense for the National League team in the Big Apple.
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Mets could even consider trading their All-Star starting pitchers, with both Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer being discussed. Yet, such a trade is complicated by the fact that both players hold full no-trade clauses on their respective contracts. This means each player will have final say over whether they’re traded this summer.
Scherzer has the option to become a free agent this offseason, but many expect him to opt into his $43.3 million player option with the Mets due to a less-than-desirable performance thus far. Verlander has another year on his contract, but even his K rate has taken a sharp decline down to fewer than eight strikeouts per nine innings.
Aside from the two ace pitchers, the Mets are said to be weighing trading any veteran player signed to a short-term contract. This includes hitters like Tommy Pham, Mark Canha, and bullpen arm David Robertson. In other words, don’t be surprised if we continue hearing the Mets linked to trade rumors for the next week-plus.