3 NY Mets players we'll only see traded in a fantasy baseball league this year

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New York Mets fans are ready for a change. Reactionary or an attitude brewing within them for much longer than this month, many have conceded to the idea that this team could be in seller mode. It’s real. It’s not spectacular.

A trade deadline sell-off by the Mets would be an embarrassing turn of events. It wouldn’t be a complete tear down. Many of the core pieces will remain in place.

Certain Mets fans have taken it to the extreme of trying to make the kinds of Mets trades you’ll only ever find in a fantasy baseball league. The Mets may sell. Only in your fantasy league will you see these three change uniforms.

1) The NY Mets are only trading Francisco Lindor in a fantasy baseball league

Hang around social media or certain other dark corners of the internet long enough and you’ll see fans actually discuss the possibility of trading Francisco Lindor. Really. They’re serious. There is zero hyperbole.

It’s hard to take anyone seriously when they think trading Lindor is a possibility. It’s the kind of trade you make only when there is a serious financial problem with your ball club. Even then, you’re going to lose the trade by either having to eat a large portion of the contract or include several very good prospects in the move.

Look, we’re all frustrated with Lindor. Wanting to trade him is extreme. Actually thinking it’s possible means you’ve spent too much time with your fantasy team and not enough with the real-life Mets. We don’t blame you if that’s the case because the real-life Mets haven’t given you much to cheer about.

Lindor’s contract makes him difficult to trade even if he was playing well. It’s long. It’s expensive. It has become an obvious overpay in terms of what other shortstops have received. The only situation where it would work would be to swap him with a player with a similar salary. Until any MLB team is willing to take that risk, it’s pure fantasy.

2) The NY Mets are only trading Justin Verlander in a fantasy baseball league

Justin Verlander’s season may not be going the way we wanted it. He’s one of the Mets most responsible for the state of the team being what it is. Trading him is infinitely more likely than Lindor because of the length of contract. Even so, how many teams are going to take on what could be potentially two and a half more years of high paychecks for an aging ace?

If Verlander was pitching well, sure, he’s a mercenary some desperate team might take on. We know a thing or two about desperate teams taking a chance on Verlander. The amount of money the Mets are paying him seems ridiculous at this point given how his year has gone.

Now 8 starts into his season, Verlander is 2-3 with a 4.40 ERA. This includes his successful outing against the New York Yankees last week when he allowed just one run over 6 innings. It was as close to vintage Verlander as we have seen in 2023 and yet it didn't result in a win for him and 6 innings felt slightly short-changed. Hey, recording 18 outs and allowing a single run to score feels like it deserves a victory lap at this point.

Other teams see Verlander floundering and the only way they'd ever add him to their roster via trade is if the Mets hand him over, eat a large part of the contract, and don't ask for much back. Steve Cohen doesn't seem like the kind of guy to admit to defeat. After all of the hype, the jersey sales, and marketing around Verlander, pulling the plug this soon goes against the nature of the owner and logic.

3) The NY Mets are only trading Starling Marte in a fantasy baseball league

As much as it’s unlikely for the Mets to trade Max Scherzer, the remaining length of his deal could have teams considering him. He has a player option after this season which looks like something he’ll opt into at this stage of the season. Less likely to get dealt is Starling Marte. The Mets right fielder isn’t necessarily having a useless season. He’s just clearly on the decline and not quite what the Mets were hoping he’d be for them this season.

Stuck in right field and playing the kind of defense we’d expect for someone his age, the Mets are paying him $20.75 million this season and the same through 2025. It’s a lot of money for a corner outfielder whose speed is one of his better weapons. Marte hasn’t lost it yet, fortunately, because it’s about the last of his truly great assets remaining. He’s bound to lose a step before his contract is over which is one of the big reasons why the only team he’s getting traded from is the fantasy roster you drafted back in March.

Mark Canha, Eduardo Escobar, Tommy Pham, and all of those other position players with expiring contracts are the ones we’d expect to be on the move instead.

Marte’s contract and performance will have him staying in Queens through at least the middle of the 2025 season. We knew from the start it was the first half of his contract where we needed the best years. If he’s going to remain a speedy singles hitter playing a corner outfield spot, the Mets are going to need to build around that with a bit more power at other positions. Wouldn’t that be nice?

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