Jeff McNeil's trade value is crashing because even the NY Mets want someone else

Trading Jeff McNeil is something every fan has at least contemplated with a far larger majority seemingly ready to part with the long-tenured New York Mets utility man. A bad year that ended worse than it began, McNeil is one of the few core players who seems to have outworn his welcome.

Useful last season as a defender in center field, his struggles late in the season (and misplay in Philadelphia) had more fans than ever before ready to gas up the car and drive him to the airport. It has been speculated about and in actual Mets rumors about the possibility of trading him. However, ongoing and new MLB rumors about others at his position becoming available provide the Mets with another hurdle.

One of the latest MLB rumors making the rounds was the heavy interest in St. Louis Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan. Even the Mets were included as suitors. If truly on the trade block, it further limits the number of teams who could potentially be a target for McNeil. In particular, the list of top Donovan destinations includes teams the Mets don’t generally make trades with.

Chances of the Mets trading Jeff McNeil keep getting tougher

Donovan’s availability as the better and less financially burdensome left-handed hitting second baseman who can play the outfield puts a big damper on the McNeil market. The Mets also aren’t going to trade McNeil to the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, or Philadelphia Phillies.

The market thins out further with free agent Jorge Polanco coming off of a strong year as the Seattle Mariners second baseman. He’s not cost-efficient, but meets the needs of a team who wouldn’t want to give up players like Donovan would.

Caught somewhere in between Donovan and Polanco in a sense, McNeil’s contract isn’t attractive enough for other teams unless the Mets grab a spork and eat some of it.

Larger is the potential of the Arizona Diamondbacks trading Ketel Marte. The Tampa Bay Rays may find a team willing to take on trade candidate Brandon Lowe who, while a butcher defensively, is a far better hitter than McNeil and he costs less money. Marte, meanwhile, is a candidate to finish among the top MVP vote-getters in any situation.

An abundance of choice and an ugly finish in 2025 makes McNeil a hopeful trade candidate yet no sure thing for the Mets. They could be, oddly enough, competing in the same market to add a second baseman while also trying to unload McNeil. Many of the Mets trade candidates are guys who don’t have completely self-explanatory trade situations. Baseball has gotten complicated with the money regularly involved in the reasoning for trading players. It’s no different here.