The New York Mets were one hit by the Los Angeles Dodgers to open the unofficial second half of the MLB season Friday night.
This latest loss has New York at 42-49 on the season. Since starting 30-27, the Mets have lost 22 of their past 34 games. It’s been a disastrous season for a team with MLB’s largest payroll.
While we don’t expect owner Steve Cohen to spearhead a fire sale ahead of the MLB trade deadline, the status quo obviously is not working.
Following Friday night’s loss to the Dodgers, New York general manager Billy Eppler noted that other teams have called about Mets players leading up to the deadline (h/t Tim Healey of Newsday).
While the Mets’ brass won’t say it, we’re sure they’ll be open to listening to some of their players if this free fall continues over the next couple weeks.
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A report earlier in July indicated that the Mets have no plans to move former Cy Young winners Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.
To an extent, this makes sense. Cohen is not looking to start anew with a rebuild. Meanwhile, these two aging veterans likely wouldn’t draw a lot in return given their ages and combined $86 million salaries for next season. We can also assume that Pete Alonso is not going to be on the trade market.
Outside of that, there are a number of potential contributors contending teams would be interested in from the Mets. Outfielders Tommy Pham, Brandon Nimmo, Mark Canha and Starling Marte come to mind as possibilities.
Starters Carlos Carrasco and David Peterson come to mind, too. We also wouldn’t be surprised if veteran closer David Robertson (2.06 ERA, 1.02 WHIP) draws interest.
Either way, the New York Mets need to make some moves ahead of the MLB trade deadline. Even if it is to reset for the 2024 season, there is no reason to maintain the status quo.