3 Mets most likely to get traded today
Who will be the next to go in the Mets fire sale?
After weeks of waiting, the MLB trade deadline has finally arrived. The New York Mets have already gotten off to a head start on the trades, shipping away Max Scherzer, David Robertson and Mark Canha days before the 6 pm deadline.
Now that the Mets have made it clear they are selling, rival teams have began calling more frequently for some of the Mets veterans for their playoff pushes. These three Mets in particular have been at the center of attention of trade talks, and have most likely played their last games in a Mets uniform this season.
The Mets are likely to trade away Justin Verlander, but only for a huge return
After trading away Max Scherzer, the entire MLB world turned their attention to what the Mets would do with Justin Verlander. After a rough start to the season, Verlander has been lights out in July and would be a fantastic addition to any playoff contender. However, the question still remains of if the Mets even want to trade him away.
Fans are divided on the issue, as this version of Verlander would greatly help the Mets return to the playoffs in 2024. While some fans might not want to move Verlander this deadline, the amount of interested teams and the potential prospects they would send over might be too tempting for the Mets to pass up on.
Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles could offer the Mets a massive package around some of their top prospects for Verlander. The Mets would almost certainly want a top end pitching prospect in return, and those two teams farm systems fit the bill. Other teams such as the Houston Astros have been players as well, but their lack of a farm system makes their offer much less appealing.
Of course, there remains the issue of the no-trade clause, with Verlander having the final say on where he goes. If he does want to end up playing for a contender in 2023, he will most likely agree to be traded and find himself on a World Series contender by tonight.
Tommy Pham is essentially a lock to be traded by tonights trade deadline
Tommy Pham checks off all the boxes for a rental player; a veteran on a cheap one year deal, Pham has hit lefties well all season and would give a playoff contender a nice platoon for a championship run.
Pham did much better in New York than most would've expected, which is mostly why he is on the trade block compared to other options. The interest is certainly there for Pham, with teams like the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays being rumored to be involved.
While Pham is almost certainly getting traded tonight, the return will likely be worse than some fans might expect. As a 34 year old on an expiring deal, the Mets should be looking to get a decent pitching prospect back in return, similar to the Mark Canha deal. Tommy Pham was great for the Mets this season, and his time in New York will come to an end today when the Mets find the right deal.
Despite a bad season, Carlos Carrasco should still be traded away by the Mets today
There's no being gentle about it; Carlos Carrasco has been horrible for the Mets this season. However, if the Mets continue their trade deadline trend and take on the majority of Carrasco's contract in a trade, they should be able to ship the former Cy Young finalist to a new team.
Owning a 6.40 ERA on the year, Carrasco has regressed significantly across the board, with 13 home runs allowed in just 15 starts. He is on the final year of his contract with the Mets, and regardless of he gets moved or not, it's likely that he won't be with the team in 2024.
With that said, he has still shown signs of life this season. His eight inning masterpiece against the Arizona Diamondbacks shows that he still has some more in the tank, and a team may be willing to take a chance on him for the minimum salary and a low end prospect. Those same Diamondbacks could use some starting pitching help, as could teams like the Baltimore Orioles or Los Angeles Dodgers.
The return for Carrasco would be minimal, and truthfully most Mets fans would be perfectly fine DFA'ing the struggling pitcher if no trade formulates. The Mets have to try to convince a team to "buy low" on the struggling righty and be willing to take on salary in return, but any prospect for Carrasco at this point would be worth it.