3 NY Mets prospects who suddenly feel untouchable in trade talks

There’s a scene in The Untouchables where Sean Connery’s character asks, “What are you prepared to do?” For David Stearns and the New York Mets front office, the trade deadline will pose the same question. They’ll be active, making calls, fielding offers, and dealing from depth to strengthen the roster. But there are a few names that won’t be on the table. These are the prospects already circled in red ink, quietly labeled untouchable. With the Mets eyeing a playoff push, plenty of young talent will spark interest, but some players have proven they’re too valuable to trade away.

1) Nolan McLean

If you’re building a group of untouchables, Nolan McLean makes the list without much debate. He opened the year in Double-A and looked overqualified almost immediately, posting a 1.37 ERA with 30 strikeouts and just 20 hits allowed in 26.1 innings. That stretch earned him a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse in early May, where he delivered seven scoreless innings in his debut. It’s not just a hot streak, it’s a clear jump.

Last season, McLean showed promise but still looked like a work in progress. He posted a 3.78 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP across Brooklyn and Binghamton, striking out 116 in 109.2 innings while walking 42. His stuff was loud, but the command came and went. Now, just six starts into 2025, he’s cleaned things up. His ERA has dropped by more than two runs, his WHIP is nearly identical despite facing more advanced hitters, and he’s trimmed his walk rate slightly from 3.4 to 3.2 per nine. It’s not a massive leap in control, but enough to signal progress and when the rest of his arsenal is working, it’s all he needs.

McLean’s fastball lives in the mid-90s, and his sweeper has become a true separator. He rounds out his mix with a cutter, changeup, and curve, giving him the depth to keep hitters guessing and the confidence to go deep into outings. He’s now considered the top pitching prospect in the system and has climbed to No. 72 on Baseball America’s Top 100 list. That’s the kind of profile that draws plenty of enthusiasm from rival teams around the deadline but unless the return is a game-changer, the Mets shouldn’t answer those calls. McLean has pitched his way into the untouchable tier, right where he belongs.