The big issues with the NY Mets rumors connecting them to early trades

Early May is rarely the time for impactful MLB trades. Usually we’ll see a guy on the outs with his current ball club move. Matt Harvey in 2018 is one New York Mets example. Despite the unusual nature of major May trade, Mets rumors have grabbed the headlines with reports from several insiders about the team looking to add.

ESPN’s Jorge Castillo reported the team is shopping every starting pitcher not named Nolan McLean, Freddy Peralta, and Clay Holmes to help with the offense. The NY Post's Jon Heyman rattled off several names the team could target in hopes of adding power to the lineup.

Herein lies the problem. If David Peterson, Sean Manaea, and Kodai Senga are on the trade block, the Mets aren’t getting a thing. Names mentioned by Heyman, which include Yandy Diaz, Christian Walker, and Mike Trout come with other caveats. Diaz is the best hitter on a contending team. Walker is sensible, but does he fix the Mets for what he could cost? Then there’s Trout who’d sell some tickets, but would also need to approve a trade away from the Los Angeles Angels. He seems happy as a big fish in a smallish pond.

Should the Mets actually trade value in an attempt to salvage the season?

We can speculate a lot into what some of these players could cost. No one would take Manaea unless the Mets are eating most, if not all, of the contract. The same goes for Senga. Peterson might be a candidate to slot into someone’s bullpen or work as a swingman for a desperate ball club. At a little over $8 million, it’s not as financially complicated. Still, the Mets would have to pay a player to go away. The return wouldn’t be all that great either.

Further down the depth chart, is trading Christian Scott sensible? The team held onto Jonah Tong throughout the offseason. Selling him after such a bad start would be a knee-jerk reaction style of move.

The Mets had the same questions all offseason and never did anything about it. They kept the aforementioned trio of starting pitchers and hoped at least one would be competent. The underperforming offense couldn’t have been predicted. In the absence of Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco, and Luis Robert Jr., the Mets are relying on MJ Melendez being the league’s best flier to power the offense.

The Mets can trade from their starting pitching stockpile, but it won’t net them the offensive solution they require unless they attach a prospect in the deal, too. Peterson plus a prospect to the Houston Astros for Walker works on some levels with the biggest problem the hurdle of convincing the struggling AL West ball club that it’s worth their while to sell Walker now.

Any added acquisition of a significant bat has a trickle down effect throughout the roster. Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, and more lose playing time even if they remain on the roster. It’s the ultimate admission of a failed offseason. With those younger players, it’s a step toward realizing there’s a problem with developing young bats, too.

While we’d all love the aggressiveness of adding someone significant, no one is about to take ill-fitting or bad-performing players from the Mets and give them anything of value. The Mets should probably treat any trade they make as one that won’t just help them now but next season as well. Several targets fit this description. Unfortunately, they’ll come at a higher cost and might not be enough to save 2026.

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