1 NY Mets player who may have more value than fans think, 1 who has less

As the New York Mets’ series losses continue to pile up, there no longer seems to be a question of whether they will be “sellers” ahead of the 2026 MLB trade deadline. That seems all but guaranteed as the only team in the NL East shy of 40 wins.

Rather, the question has shifted to which players the Mets are going to move ahead of Aug. 3. The only veterans on New York’s roster who seem to lack trade feasibility are $765 million man Juan Soto and shortstop Francisco Lindor, who still has 5.5 years of his 10-year, $341 million deal to go. Rookies Nolan McLean, Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing should be considered “untouchable” as well.

So with just about one month before the trade deadline, many questions remain. Who will the Mets try to trade later this summer? Who will they retain for the rest of 2026 and try to continue building around for the 2027 season and beyond? What value can New York recoup in a haul of prospects from trading away veterans?

All three questions are difficult to answer, but Mets fans might be surprised about the ballpark estimates of value for a couple of tradable players. Here’s one player with more trade value than fans might expect and another with less value than they might believe.

Mark Vientos may be more valuable than fans expect

Anyone who has paid attention to Mets baseball over the last two years knows that third baseman/first baseman/designated hitter Mark Vientos has struggled. After a 2024 season that seemed as if it would be a breakout for the young slugger, Vientos has never been able to reach those same heights.

This season, Vientos is slashing .221/.257/.390 for a .647 OPS. His OPS+ is 80. His wRC+ is 79. His -0.7 fWAR ranks fourth-worst among players with at least 200 plate appearances this season. All are his worst marks since the 2023 season, which he largely spent shuttling between MLB and Triple-A Syracuse. His 3.6% walk rate is the eighth-lowest of players in the same sample size and the lowest of his career.

Despite it all, the Mets have three reasons for optimism when it comes to Vientos’ value in 2026 ahead of the trade deadline. For one, he’s still young. New York’s homegrown infielder is 26 years old and still on a pre-arbitration contract. This offseason will represent Vientos’ first chance to go to arbitration, meaning any acquiring team would have two more seasons of team control after 2026.

That factor could be a boon for the Mets and any potential suitor. A team looking to add a slugger to their lineup would have plenty of time to get Vientos back to his 2024 form. The Mets could get a more significant haul of prospects in return by trading away a pre-arb player.

Two more reasons for optimism: Vientos’ past performance and his nine home runs this season. The 2024 output from Vientos – 27 home runs to back up a .266/.322/.516 slash line – represent a relative ceiling for the Mets’ infielder. Those numbers don’t include his postseason heroics, either: five home runs, 14 RBIs and a 177 wRC+ in 13 games. Vientos hasn’t been able to enjoy the same level of success in New York since then, but the promise of a change of scenery might encourage suitors looking to acquire a right-handed bat.

The nine home runs in 63 games this season also proves that Vientos’ power hasn’t completely dried up. He’s still on pace for a 20-home run season – the question is just whether a change of scenery will help him unlock the rest of his game. The Mets are hoping that one of this year’s deadline “buyers” thinks 2.5 years of working with Vientos will bear enough fruit to warrant giving up prospects to acquire him.

Huascar Brazobán’s trade value might be surprisingly low

Only A.J. Minter’s spotless ERA (0.00) is better than Huascar Brazobán’s 1.91 mark among the entire Mets’ pitching staff this year. Through 32 appearances (37.2 innings) this season, the Dominican right-hander owns a 4-1 record with just 19 hits and eight earned runs allowed. The last time Brazobán allowed a run was in his June 2 appearance as an opener against the Mariners.

Even more enticing for a potential trade partner is Brazobán’s years of team control remaining. Since he debuted in 2022, the right-handed reliever is still four years from hitting free agency. Brazobán had his first arbitration-eligible year last offseason after qualifying to be a “Super 2” player. He still has three arbitration years remaining on his deal.

However, there are a couple of reasons Brazobán might not warrant the same haul of prospects as another reliever with a similarly impressive resume and favorable contract status.

One of those reasons is Brazobán’s age. The reliever made his MLB debut at 32 years old. He’s 36 now and will turn 37 in October. By the time Brazobán hits free agency in 2030, he’ll be 40 years old.

There’s no reason to believe a decline from the right-hander is imminent – his average fastball velocity is still 96.1 mph, ranking in the 76th percentile, per Statcast. But baseball is a cruel game to aging players, especially to pitchers, who experience an inordinately high taxation on the ligaments in their throwing arm.

Brazobán already hit a career-high in innings pitched (63.0) last year in a career-high 52 appearances – and that was in spite of spending some time in Triple-A. This year, he’s already up to 37.2 innings and 32 appearances. No Met pitcher has appeared in more games and no reliever has more innings on his arm. New York has opted to rest Brazobán over the last week, but his long-term outlook as a mid-30s pitcher might give him lower value in a trade.

Additionally, there’s reason to believe Brazobán has gotten a bit lucky on the mound. His batting average allowed on balls in play is a measly .181 – the 10th-lowest of all relievers and sixth-lowest of any pitcher with at least 30 innings pitched.

It’s worth noting that he’s pitched to a career-high ground ball rate of 55.2%, which, in turn, has helped him limit home run damage against him. But teams with worse infield defense or those that value lower walk rates and higher strikeout rates could be concerned with some of the luck Brazobán has had on balls in play against him. Between that and his age, a prospect return for the reliever could be lower than Mets fans expect.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow