3 Mets players under contract the team needs to shop in a trade

At 50-55, the New York Mets don't seem to be making the playoffs this season after winning 101 the year before with a Wild Card berth as well. The Mets and many baseball experts for sure did not see this season coming as this team had World Series aspirations and are now looking to be more like sellers than buyers as the trade deadline looms.

The Mets already made some significant moves by trading away David Robertson and Max Scherzer and we are still waiting to see whether or not they decide to move other players like Tommy Pham, Mark Canha and even Justin Verlander after New York signed him to an $86 million deal last December. But if the Mets do see themselves as sellers, maybe they should look at some players who are under contract for multiple seasons in New York who are not having great years that they should trade. Which three Mets players under contract do they need to shop by Tuesday's deadline?

1. The Mets need to trade reliever Drew Smith

After having a great year out of the bullpen in 2022, pitching to an ERA just over three in 44 appearances, it looked like Drew Smith finally found his way in the major leagues after a rough couple of seasons. Now, with his struggles in 2023 and the Mets falling more and more out of the playoff picture, the Mets are better off moving on from Drew Smith at the trading deadline.

While he's not having a terrible year, he's still been a bit a inconsistent with an ERA of 4.04 and already giving up 16 earned runs after only giving up 17 all of last year. I think if the Mets want to make a change out of the bullpen and have a clean slate, moving Smith who's under team control next as well should happen. He just does not seem like an ideal fit for the Mets in their 'pen and I think moving on from him and putting Smith in a better situation makes the most sense.