Updates on the trade markets for Robert, Holmes, Taylor and Peralta
Also - the Mets lost another uninspiring game to the Marlins following the club's 40th anniversary celebration of their 1986 World Championship
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets lost their second consecutive contest to the Marlins, 6-2 (box)
It wasn’t Zac Thornton’s day, as he surrendered four runs (three earned) on six hits over 4.2 innings; he issued three walks against two strikeouts, and also committed a throwing error
The Mets’ offense was quiet, scattering seven hits across the game but reaching scoring position just once, a lone opportunity they failed to convert
LF Tyrone Taylor continued his aptly timed hot streak with another homer, a two-run shot to give the Mets their only runs of the day
Daniel Duarte allowed another two runs in his inning-plus of work, but Jonathan Pintaro and Kevin Herget issued scoreless innings in relief
The Mets will look to split their series with Miami before embarking on a nine-game road trip against the Guardians, Pirates, and Braves
Roster Moves 📰
RHP Kevin Herget selected from Triple-A Syracuse
RHP Xzavion Curry optioned to Triple-A Syracuse
Play of the Game 💥
Has there ever been a better time to get hot?
In the bottom of the second inning, facing an early 3-0 deficit with one out and Marcus Semien standing at first base, an absolutely scorching Tyrone Taylor pumped this low-and-in, 1-0 sinker from Tyler Phillips over the left field fence. The two-run bomb would provide the Mets’ only runs of the afternoon.
(Last week, a certain contributor wondered why Taylor was swinging at shadow- and chase-zone stuff so often lately. Asked and answered.)
It’s Taylor’s seventh homer since he returned from the IL at the end of June — he has 10 on the season.
The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Down on the Farm 🌾
C Hayden Senger (Triple-A): 1-for-3, HR, R, RBI, K
RHP Dylan Ross (No. 29 prospect, Triple-A): 1.0, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
3B Billy Amick (Double-A): 2-for-3, HR, R, 2 RBI
3B/2B Nick Lorusso (Double-A): 2-for-7, HR, 3 R, 5 RBI, BB, K
RHP Bryce Jenkins (High-A): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
RHP Jo Jimenez (Single-A): 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
BOX SCORES
Single-A SLU | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG (Gm1 | Gm2) | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (47-65) vs. Marlins (57-55)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Robert Stock (0-0, -.-- ERA) vs. RHP Sandy Alcántara (11-6, 3.82 ERA)
When: 4:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
The ever-evolving trade markets for Peralta, Robert, Taylor and Holmes ✍🏻
For about a week now, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal has maintained that the Mets will trade around six players before tomorrow afternoon’s deadline.
The first (and, so far, only) of those Supposed Six to move was A.J. Minter, who was sent to the Twins in exchange for two infield prospects: slugging hot corner prospect Billy Amick (now in Binghamton), and SS/2B Bruin Agbayani (St. Lucie), the son of Mets legend Benny Agbayani. Agbayani is the franchise’s No. 22-ranked talent on the farm upon arrival.
Though deadline action was initially slow to evolve, Saturday brought a wave of trade activity that should hopefully get the trade river flowing more freely in the final hours. Tarik Skubal finally got shipped to the Dodgers (where else?), Luis Castillo’s on the move to the White Sox, and it’s been suggested that the Mets could be making another deal with Minnesota in the coming hours.
But who exactly will be the next Met to get dealt?
While some players’ markets have been mostly well-established for a while (Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, Clay Holmes), the narrative has ever-so-subtly but very notably shifted around Freddy Peralta and Luis Robert Jr. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Mets are now “trying” to move Peralta — allegedly, per Chelsea Janes, for “an absurd price” — and where Robert was initially said to have a robust market, recent reports have read more tepid, instead reasonably shifting focus to the streaking Tyrone Taylor’s presently-ballooning value.
As far as the debate between Robert and Taylor, the latter is doing about as good a job establishing some last-minute value for himself and his team as one can. The former, on the other hand, has hit .121 with a 43% K rate in his return from a herniated disc. Though interest in his services persists, it’s safe to say that said interest is far less vocal than it was initially. Taylor’s current power surge should help yield some better prospects in a deal with the likes of the Braves, for example; A.J. Ewing and some combo of minor leaguers can hold things down out in left until Juan Soto’s back. And if they can get any decent return for Robert, they should ship him swiftly and settle for a few weeks of MJ Melendez at-bats to bridge the Soto gap.
Where the starters are concerned, I’m wondering if it’s possible that the Mets don’t end up finding a taker for Peralta after all. Starting pitching is certainly a need for multiple contenders…but how many front offices in a playoff hunt would be willing to ship off high-end farm talent for the second-worst qualified starter in baseball by ERA (4.99) in the hopes of a sudden, complete turnaround, even considering his expiring contract and career track record? Could David Stearns in fact choose to ride out the rest of the calendar with his guy if he doesn’t get the package he wants? With the way things have gone this season, I can’t write that notion off as easily as I’d like to.
Even so, it’s hard to see that happening. If they keep him, the Mets would probably have to make him a qualifying offer, which he might accept, and then the Mets would have him on the hook for at least $12 million more than what they paid him in 2026, during which he has been among the worst starting pitchers in the game. And, the Mariners were able to get a major league reliever and two minor leaguers - although one is a former big leaguer in Nolan Jones - for Luis Castillo, a pitcher who has had a similar season to Peralta. So, there has to be something out there for the Mets to consider that’s better than the alternative.
Holmes’s market, meanwhile, has been reported to be as deep as seven or more teams — it shouldn’t be hard to get a deal done there. Holmes seems to be at peace with the reality of his situation, ready as ever to help whichever team he’ll be suiting up for at the end of this week. He just wants to pitch. The Yankees, Dodgers, and Cubs have been named among the frontrunners in his market; if the Mets are looking to gain some top pitching talent in return for Holmes’ services, those are three great systems to start with (seriously, go look through the Yankees’ Top 30 when you’re done reading this). I do wonder if the Dodgers’ getting Skubal takes them out of the running for Holmes, but then again, the Dodgers are never out of anything, are they?
There’s also the matter of the bullpen. It seems inevitable that one, if not multiple, of Weaver, Raley, and Huascar Brazobán will be dealt in the coming hours.
With Minter now in Minnesota and Cionel Pérez not expected back until September, it’s now a little more difficult for the Mets to trade Raley unless they can get a body back to pitch from the left side of the bullpen. (This was definitely not the best time for Jonathan Santucci to walk five guys in four innings for Syracuse…) I don’t think that means the Mets won’t trade Raley, but they need actual people to fill their roster out in the end to get them through the end of September, you know what I mean?
Though losing both Weaver and Brazobán would be painful, it would be navigable. It would probably come with a considerable return, especially if they were dealt as a package to a team in need of relief help — the Phillies and Rangers systems both have a little bit of everything the Mets need. Carrying a single lefty in your bullpen is risky enough, but having none to turn to is just bad business.
And while things are undeniably bleak, the season does not in fact end at the deadline. There are still quite a few games left to play, and if Andy Green is to be believed, the Mets still want to try to be at least watchable. They may as well field as complete a roster as they can, especially if they don’t get any offers that they feel would discernibly move the future talent needle.
So, who’s the next Met to depart? I’m clearly not sure — but there’s no shortage of dealable dudes, all of them with some sort of tangible market. If the Mets can totally revamp their system as they did just a couple of seasons ago, there should be several new faces to get acquainted with on Tuesday.
Around the League 🚩
The Tigers traded Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers for outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-handers River Ryan & Brady Smith, the Dodgers’ fifth-, seventh-, and seventeenth-ranked prospects respectively (MLB.com)
The Mariners traded Luis Castillo to the White Sox for RHP Seranthony Domínguez, OF Nolan Jones, and catching prospect Boston Smith (MLB.com)
The Yankees traded reliever Camilo Doval to the Pirates for prospects Omar Alfonzo (now the Yankees’ no. 27 prospect) and Luis Cruz (MLB.com)
The Braves acquired OF Lane Thomas and LHP Bailey Falter from the Royals for Atlanta’s eighth-ranked prospect RHP Lucas Braun and LHP Carter Holton (MLB.com)
The Brewers acquired C Bo Naylor and RHP Codi Heuer from the Guardians for OF Blake Perkins and RHP Craig Yoho; Milwaukee assigned both Naylor and Heuer to Triple-A (MLB.com)
The Orioles are reportedly open to moving former No. 1 overall draft pick C Adley Rutschman before Monday’s deadline (MLB.com)
The Mariners are actively fielding trade offers for RHP George Kirby (MLB.com)
Braves starter Martín Perez carried a no-hit bid against the Nationals into the 7th inning while starting on short rest; the Braves won, 8-3