It will be a tough call to see whether the New York Mets will buy or sell at the trade deadline this season, as the team is part of a logjam in the playoff contention ladder in the National League. This situation is possible because of several players performing at higher levels over the past couple of weeks and have seen their potential trade values increased.
The Mets' recent turnaround has come across all areas of the roster, and they have expendable trade chips where they can add more depth to a farm system that is improving should they decide to sell at the trade deadline.
1) Starling Marte
Starling Marte's performance this season, especially offensively, has been a pleasant surprise. After seeing his OPS be the lowest of his career with signals of decline, he has bounced back in a big way, and it has picked up along with the Mets' recent winning ways. In his last 13 games, he has a line of .436/.500/.641 in 44 plate appearances, and has seen his season batting average climb to .286.
Marte would be an exceptional addition for a team that needs a right-handed, aggressive-thinking hitter that can hit the ball to all fields and if a team needs speed, as he has 12 stolen bases this year without getting caught. The only downside for Marte at the moment is his fielding, where his outs above average of -8 ranks among the worst in baseball, but he makes up for it by having a strong arm in the outfield.
2024 was a season where we didn't know what to expect from Starling Marte. Last year was an injury-plagued one for Marte with the migraine and groin issues. This year he had a little bump with a knee flareup, but has been fine nonetheless. But Marte's trade value will keep rising as he keeps hitting and stays healthy.