Four names that could solve the Mets problems at the trade deadline

Plus, the Mets are headed to Baltimore for a three-game set with the Orioles

Jul 08, 2025

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What’s up with the Mets? ⚾️

The Mets were off on Monday - they open a three-game series against the Orioles in Baltimore tonight at Oriole Park at Camden Yards
The Mets are expected to activate Jesse Winker from the injured list ahead of tonight’s game against the Orioles, who has been out since May with an oblique strain

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Who’s Hot? 🥵

Over his last 38 games, Brandon Nimmo is hitting .308/.369/.562 with seven doubles, 10 home runs, 25 RBI with 11 walks, 45 hits and 23 runs scored
Over his last 35 games, Juan Soto is hitting .331/.470/.703 with five doubles, 13 home runs, 26 RBI with 30 walks, 39 hits and 31 runs scored
Over his last 26 games, Starling Marte is hitting .325/.382/.450 with four doubles, two home runs, eight RBI with seven walks, 26 hits and 12 runs scored
Over his last 32 games, Jeff McNeil is hitting .283/.346/.513 with five doubles, seven home runs, 19 RBI with seven walks, 32 hits and 14 runs scored
Over his last 39 games, Pete Alonso is hitting .282/.363/.564 with nine doubles, 11 home runs, 35 RBI with 12 walks, 42 hits and 22 runs scored

Down on the Farm 🌾

All Mets minor league affiliates were off on Monday

Today’s Game 🗓️

Match-up: Mets (52-39) at Orioles (40-49)

Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards - Baltimore, MD

Starters: RHP Clay Holmes (8-4, 2.99 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Young (0-3, 7.02 ERA)

When: 6:35 PM EDT

Where to Watch: SNY

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Four realistic targets for the Mets ahead of the trade deadline… ✍️

The Mets are entering as a semi-soft portion of their schedule heading into the All-Star break, although given the state of the Mets pitching staff, I am not sure anything is that soft. After all, we saw what the endlessly floundering Braves did to them in Atlanta and in half a series in New York not too long ago, and even as the Mets have enjoyed more success over the last week, the pitching staff isn’t exactly in good shape and has a constantly revolving door.

The good news is, there’s at least the hint of stability on the horizon with Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga returning this coming weekend in Kansas City.

But first, the Mets must get through this series against the Orioles this week in Baltimore. I expect a familiar adventure to take place on the mound for now, so the Mets are going to have to continue to outhit that current deficiency until they can attempt to stabilize what has become an absolute mess for them in the center of the diamond.

Simply put, the Mets are going to have to make some impact moves for this pitching staff. I see that happening more in the back half of games than I do in the front, for a few of reasons:

Starting pitching is expensive - no, the Mets don’t care about the money. They do care about contracts, but not cash. They’d rather overpay for a shorter period of time than owe people money for a longer period of time. They also care about prospect capital. Under the right circumstances, I think any GM would trade away prospects for a special circumstance, but I don’t see that special circumstance out there for the Mets.
There aren’t a lot of starting pitchers available, yet anyway - There are the obvious sellers, the teams who will probably sell, the pretenders, and the wannabe’s in the pennant race. Among the obvious sellers, there really isn’t a lot of pitching available for them. After all, there are reasons why the obvious sellers are obvious sellers and those reasons usually center around poor pitching.
The Mets are getting healthier - Senga and Manaea are coming back. Obviously, they won’t be able to go deep into games through the first turn or two of the rotation. But sometimes, presence alone can be an upgrade, and Senga all by himself should be a big boost to this rotation simply because he has pitched so well when he has been active for this team since 2023. As for Manaea, he is obviously a big lift too, but he feels like more of an unknown right now given he hasn’t pitched in a major league game since late October. But again, Manaea’s presence and veteran personality are a huge deal for the Mets, and they’re counting on him being the guy he was who led them on the mound last October.

Now, just because the aforementioned reasons exist doesn’t mean they won’t get starting pitching. They need someone who can slot right in for them and lengthen this rotation once they are healthier, especially on the back side.

Recently, I wrote about Mitch Keller making a lot of sense for the Mets. He still does, and the Mets could be well positioned to acquire him because he’s owed quite a bit of money, and there are only a few teams who might be willing to absorb his contract. He’s also a solid, steady, and predictable pitcher, and quite frankly, his contract might be a bargain in this marketplace given what he brings to the table. He’s making $15.4 million this season, so the Mets would be on the hook for about 1/3 of that, and he will make $16.4 million in 2026, $18.4 million in 2027, and $20.4 million in 2028. The problem, of course, will be demand, especially since - as I said a moment ago - starting pitching is hard to come by, and every contender is going to want it. So, even if the Mets might be willing to take on that entire contract, what will the demand mean for the prospect capital going back to Pittsburgh, assuming Keller is available at all (which he should be - they trade all of their good players away, which is why they’re not good very often)?

There are others - the Mets have been connected to Luis Severino, who has stated his displeasure for West Sacramento after declaring how much he would love it after he signed a three-year, $67 million deal with them in the off-season. For what it’s worth, he did want to come back to the Mets last winter and he probably would’ve returned for less, but the Mets went in a different direction.

The Mets will also be looking to upgrade their bullpen in the coming weeks, and that might be easier to do in the short-term than the rotation, as in they might be able to bring some help in well before the deadline. There are always more quality relievers available than there are starters, and there are always quality relievers to be found among the obvious sellers. A strong left-handed reliever is a must-find for David Stearns - he has said that is at the top of his to-do list this summer since they’ve been unable to find a replacement for AJ Minter or Danny Young.

The most obvious choice would be Aroldis Chapman, who is on an expiring deal with the Red Sox. He’s a perfect fit for them even though demand would be theoretically high for his services. His track record is undeniable and despite some memorable issues in the playoffs, he has the experience they need for high leverage spots down the stretch and into October. He’s still amazing, too. I felt the Mets should’ve signed him in the off-season, but I assume he wanted to close, which is a reason they didn’t. The question is, what are the Red Sox? A week or so ago, they seemed to be going nowhere, but they’re back over .500 and two games out of a Wild Card spot. They’ve been so bipolar this season, and the dysfunction in the executive wing at Fenway Park is no secret either after what transpired with Rafael Devers this season, so let’s see what happens there.

Then, of course, there’s the offense, which continues to flounder at four positions:

Now, they’re not finding four new players. So, forget it. But my guess is, they can and will find at least one upgrade. One should be a primary upgrade, and the other(s) will likely be on the margins to help fill situational gaps and build production that way.

I believe the Mets view the catching situation as a defense-first situation. They want people who produce runs by saving them back there, if you catch my drift, and people who connect well with their starting pitchers. That’s not to say they can live with a .605 OPS back there, but they can if they are able to find a significant upgrade at one other position and a situational upgrade at one more, in theory.

There’s been quite a bit of fan chatter around Byron Buxton over the last little while, and on paper, he’s an ideal fit. The Twins don’t seem to be going anywhere, so they seem destined to sell in the next couple of weeks. He would be a dramatic upgrade offensively in center over Tyrone Taylor, who, to be fair, has been overexposed out there because they don't really have anyone else. His defense would be like-for-like with Taylor in large measure, and most of the rest of Buxton’s contract is in his prime years at a relatively modest cost even if he earns all of his performance bonuses (three years, $45.5 million base money with up to $33 million in incentives).

The issue, of course, is health with Buxton. There’s always something with him - he has played more than 100 games just once since 2017, and it was 102 games in 2024. But when he plays, he stars, and that has always been the case too.

As is the case with Keller, the Mets might be one of a few teams who can absorb medium-term risk with Buxton, and the market for position players might not be as robust as it will be for starting pitchers. That’s not to say the Mets wouldn’t have to surrender some prospect capital, but the value going back in a situation like this should be less than that for a starting pitcher due to demand.

This is all subject to change, of course, thanks to the extra wild cards in each league. Teams are one winning streak away from being back in the race, one losing streak away from being out of it. But we know the Mets are in it; they will be buyers, and their needs suggest a more aggressive approach to this trade deadline than in years past.

Let’s see what Stearns has up his sleeve.

Around the League 🚩

Manny Machado recorded his 2000th hit, but the Padres lost to the Diamondbacks 6-3
The Brewers knocked out Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the first inning and rolled over the Dodgers 9-1 in Milwaukee
The Angels got to Jacob deGrom early and ultimately prevailed over the Rangers with a 6-5 win in Anaheim
The Giants used five pitchers to shut down the Phillies in a 3-1 win in San Francisco