All 10 NY Mets first-round draft picks since 2010 who ended up getting traded

Some teams are built through draft picks. The New York Mets seem to prefer to use those first-rounders in trades. While they had successful picks since 2010, there have been 10 trades involving someone from the first round getting dealt to another team.

Every Mets first-round draft picks since 2010 who ended up traded

Matt Harvey 2010, traded in 2018

Matt Harvey was a successful Mets pitcher whose career flamed out quickly due to injuries. At his peak, no one was more popular. He signaled a change within the franchise. In early 2018, his tenure with the Mets ended when they traded the disgruntled pitcher to the Cincinnati Reds for catcher Devin Mesoraco

Brandon Nimmo 2011, traded after the 2025 season

Fresh in our minds, the Brandon Nimmo trade after the 2025 season is one that’ll be debated and graded for decades. Sent to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien, it’s a deal capable of defining the Mets for a half-decade. What they do with the money saved by moving his contract is a part of the story we have yet to learn.

Michael Fulmer 2011, traded at the 2015 trade deadline

A trade everyone will agree was a success, Michael Fulmer was the headlining prospect for Yoenis Cespedes at the 2015 trade deadline. He went to the Detroit Tigers, won Rookie of the Year, and vanished in large part due to injuries. 

Kevin Plawecki 2012, traded before the 2019 season

A much smaller trade sent 2012 first round pick Kevin Plawecki to the Cleveland Guardians prior to the 2019 season. The Mets got back Sam Haggerty and Walker Lockett. Some success with the Boston Red Sox after leaving Cleveland as their backup was the highlight of his career.

Justin Dunn 2016, traded after the 2018 season

Involved in one of the most controversial Mets trades at the time, Justin Dunn was packaged alongside another name on this list when he went to the Seattle Mariners. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022.

Anthony Kay 2016, traded at the 2019 trade deadline

Anthony Kay was working his way up to join the Mets rotation when Brodie Van Wagenen sent him in a deal for Marcus Stroman at the 2019 trade deadline. He has had a fascinating career since, even stopping off with the Mets briefly as a reliever years later. After success overseas, he returned in the 2025-2026 offseason to start for the Chicago White Sox. 

David Peterson 2017, traded in June 2026

Hey! The dust hasn’t even settled. The inspiration for this list, David Peterson was the most recent first-round pick traded by the Mets. He went to the Chicago Cubs for prospect Cole Mathis in what’ll probably be one of the most forgotten trades involving a former Mets first-round pick of the last decade and a half.

Jarred Kelenic 2018, traded after the 2018 season

Dealt alongside Justin Dunn to the Mariners, there’s no reason to dive too deeply into the fallout here. Mets fans were outraged over the quick sale of the highest drafted player by the Mets (sixth overall) since 2004 when they took Phillip Humber, a guy later traded for Johan Santana. The trade had many twists and turns. Because Edwin Diaz became the league’s best closer at one point with the Mets, it feels like a New York win.

Pete Crow-Armstrong 2020, traded at the 2021 trade deadline

This felt like a repeat of Jarred Kelenic all over again. Yet another young outfielder taken in the first round was getting traded away. This time the return was two months of Javier Baez and pitcher Trevor Williams. Statistically a success because Baez played well and Williams was incredibly useful in 2022, Pete Crow-Armstrong developing into an MVP candidate with the Chicago Cubs has this forever cemented as a bad Mets trade.

Jett Williams 2022, traded before the 2026 season

Packaged alongside non-first rounder Brandon Sproat, Jett Williams was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers for Freddy Peralta. He was one of two first-round picks the Mets had that year because of their failure/reluctance to sign Kumar Rocker from the year prior. Either way, this once prized possession in the Mets farm system is now gone and appears capable of turning a win-now move into a disaster.

There's a chance we see Brett Baty added to this list soon enough. Taken in the first-round of the 2018 draft, he's likely to follow the trend.

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