5 NY Mets trades and free agent signings to keep the payroll at $320 million or less

2) Trade away Jeff McNeil for cheap optional bullpen depth, eat about half of his salary

The Mets can’t possibly have Jeff McNeil on their roster next year, can they? In any sort of deal he’s included in, the expectation should be that they eat about half of his salary or so. Let’s make it simple and say they can get a team to take on $8 million. It’s reasonable.

In exchange for McNeil, the Mets either take on a pair of prospects who won’t factor into the MLB payroll or an optional bullpen depth piece. The Mets can’t possibly think they could get a lot for him.

One could argue the Mets could find use for McNeil. It’s true. His positional versatility makes him someone who could play left field regularly and maybe even some first base. However, when we’re working within a budget, getting rid of his nearly $16 million salary for the 2026 season is necessary. There are better players out there for them to target. His purpose is a bit of a wash when we take a look at the rest of their roster.

No more regular starts at second base and the lack of power in the outfield at the moment, paying down 50% of McNeil’s contract to simply replace him with a better player feels more necessary than not. The Mets payroll remains unmoved. Let’s clear a little more before we finish with additional moves.