The New York Mets still have about two weeks to go before the trade deadline, and if their post All Star break is any indication, this team will most likely be sellers come August 1st.
Over the course of the next two weeks, the team will have to decide their direction, as well as hone in on exactly which players they are willing to trade away. With a good amount of veterans and rental contracts, the Mets should have plenty of options on players to trade. However, the return needs to be good value, and the team shouldn't just trade these players away for the sake of doing so. Here are three players the Mets need to see continue playing at a higher level to boost their value for other teams.
The Mets need another good start or two from Carlos Carrasco before the trade deadline to boost his value
Carlos Carrasco has been arguably the most disappointing Met all season long, and yet there might be a team desperate enough for starting pitching help that will take a chance on him at the deadline.
Through his first 12 starts, Carrasco has a miserable 5.35 ERA. He has spent time on the injured list, and when he does pitch he has struggled mightily. He has lost speed on his fastball and spin on his breaking pitches, and mostly struggles getting through the 5th inning. With the Mets quickly falling out of contention and Carrasco set to become a free agent at the end of the season, it would make sense for the Mets to try and offload him despite his poor performance.
However, there is still a chance at redeeming his trade value, and part of that was shown in his start against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Carrasco pitched eight beautiful innings, scattering three hits and not allowing a single run.
While his most recent start against the White Sox was not as promising, Carrasco should get one or two more chances before the trade deadline. If he is able to provide the Mets some quality starts before August 1st, they might be able to get more for him then they would've in a trade earlier this season.