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5 under-the-radar Mets trade candidates if the team sells this summer
The Mets could be selling more than just players on expiring contracts.
Another summer sale? What did New York Mets fans do to deserve this? Someone was doing a DIY project in their backyard, found some arrowheads, and continued to put in the fire pit, thus cursing the franchise for another season.
Prepared as they are to sell off many significant members of the roster, David Stearns can go a step further and trade a couple more under the radar candidates. Players who are either out of options or near it would be potential trade deadline casualties. While they might not net the Mets a whole lot, we shouldn’t count out the possibility of any of these players getting dealt this summer.
1) David Peterson
We haven’t seen David Peterson pitch yet this season, but we should soon enough. Maybe not the most glamorous trade candidate within the organization, the only way he sticks around in New York next season is if he is on the major league roster. Peterson has one minor league option left and it’s a practical assumption to believe it gets used up at some point.
A team that acquired Peterson would gain a couple years of control as he doesn’t hit free agency until after the 2026 season. This doesn’t do much to increase his trade value. Inconsistent seasons in the big leagues have held Peterson back from being a regular in the Mets rotation or even the bullpen.
Still, desperate teams could look at Peterson similarly to the way the Mets did with Trevor Williams back in 2021. He’d be good depth to stash in the minor leagues and use in the rotation as needed. Peterson will first need to come off the IL and prove he is fully healthy before anyone makes a phone call. Oh, and the Mets need to admit defeat.
2) Mark Vientos
The Mets should hesitate to trade Mark Vientos. I don’t think they do unless a team offers them something significant. The uncertainty with the future of Pete Alonso should have the club considering Vientos as a first base replacement for the 2025 season. Able to also play some third base as well, it’s not a bad plan to have Vientos as an option at both corner infield spots and the DH spot—that’s if he can continue to hit well.
Vientos is in the same spot as Peterson with the only difference being his final minor league option has been used. He can get sent down in 2024, but after this year, Vientos loses that flexibility point.
We should be confident that the Mets have shopped Vientos in the past. He never seemed like a perfect fit for the club with the questions about his defense. His bat, however, always left some intrigue. And with him outperforming Brett Baty added with some open spots next season, there might actually finally be some room for him.
Teams that would look to acquire Vientos get plenty of team control even if the minor league options aren’t there. He’d be a candidate much like Darin Ruf was for the Mets in 2022 except younger and for their sake, hopefully capable of actually hitting.
3) DJ Stewart
The Mets have a minor league option remaining on DJ Stewart. It’s pretty significant and by avoiding a demotion they allow themselves room for next season to send him to the minors based on how the rest of the roster shapes up. Furthermore, it makes him a more appealing trade piece they could sell at the deadline.
Teams looking for a right-handed power bat could go after Vientos. Those looking for a lefty swinger to platoon with someone should target Stewart. A few years older than Vientos, his ability to play the corner outfield spots might be a bigger bonus than Vientos at both corners.
Stewart is a fine player for the Mets. However, they showed in the spring they’d prefer to have someone else. Stewart was the last man to make the roster out of camp. He has proved himself worthy of a major league role. The difficulty is getting him into the games. The Mets aren’t built for a roster with Stewart and everyday DH J.D. Martinez.
Unless a team offers something really sweet, the Mets are probably better off holding onto Stewart and doing everything they can to prevent him from going to the minors. An ability to hold him in Triple-A next year could be a huge help.
4) Jose Butto
Believe it or not, Jose Butto is also out of minor league options after this season. Time flies when you’re having fun or at least sticking on the 40-man roster but not seeing much major league action.
Butto has pitched well for the Mets this year. In fact, he probably should be on the major league roster over a couple of other starters. An under-the-radar prospect for a couple of years now, he looks much more like a starter than someone who’ll get relegated to relief duties.
There are aspects of Butto’s game to work on. He walks far too many batters. It’s a plague on the 2024 Mets. As much as many of us would love to see what he develops into, guaranteeing him a spot on next year’s roster seems a bit foolish when other clubs could trade for him this summer. He has yet to even reach arbitration. If successful elsewhere, he can stick around for a couple of seasons.
It would be a bit of a letdown to see Butto go after how well he has done for the Mets this year. Understanding the circumstance that he’s either with the big league team all season in 2025 or a DFA candidate, it’s easier to digest the possibility of sending him elsewhere so early on in his MLB career.
5) Sean Reid-Foley
Completely out of options, Sean Reid-Foley is someone the Mets either need to commit to or move this summer. Relief pitchers are accustomed to leaving at the end of July. Reid-Foley should get familiar with it as he’ll probably bounce around with several teams in the near future.
The exceptionally good start he has gotten off to this season should have other teams considering him as a mercenary for a playoff run. He shouldn’t cost a whole lot. For some firepower out of the bullpen, Reid-Foley is a controllable piece a more patient ball club could use in relief for several years.
Reid-Foley doesn’t quite seem to fit into the plans for the Mets in the future. Already given several chances in the past, he has struggled to make a significant enough of an impact until this season. There’s also still time for him to revert back to his old ways. Based on the way Stearns built the bullpen this year, we should expect him to have little attachment to anyone—particularly a pitcher who began the year on the bubble and might’ve been DFA’d if not for a well-timed injury which allowed him to go to the IL.
The Mets have no true urgency to trade Reid-Foley and perhaps he does survive the trade deadline only to end up back in a spring competition for the bullpen yet again. He’ll turn 29 in August. Maybe, finally, this is the SRF we’ve been waiting for since the 2021 Steven Matz trade.
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