When the Mets return from the All-Star break, they will be under two weeks from the July 31 trade deadline, and there are plenty areas of need they'll have to add reinforcements to as they push for the National League East title and a deep playoff run.
As SNY’s Andy Martino has reported, the Mets are likely to be looking for both starting pitching and relief help, as well as a potential upgrade in center field. I would argue that they should at least consider an upgrade at DH, too. But from a roster construction standpoint it would be difficult pull off adding while also having Jesse Winker, Starling Marte, and Mark Vientos on the roster.
Marte and Winker are currently injured, but they could potentially return not long after the break.
The early feeling is that while there will be activity at the deadline as always, there may not be many top-end players on the move. It’s possible the best player traded this season was already moved with the Red Sox shipping Rafael Devers to the Giants a few weeks ago.
The team to watch over the next couple of weeks is the Diamondbacks, who could shake up the trade market in a significant way if they elect to sell.
I am often asked -- whether in the mailbag segment of The Mets Pod or in my mentions on X (@PSLToFlushing) -- about which prospects the Mets could look to move at the deadline, or more importantly who they shouldn’t move.
Given the expected available inventory, I think David Stearns would be unlikely to trade from the very top of the farm system. As much as winning now is of most importance -- and I believe Stearns will be more aggressive than he was last year -- he will always make sure to keep an eye on the long-term. That's a difficult needle to thread, but it's one of the reasons the Mets hired him -- the whole idea of sustained success.
Names like Jett Williams, Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Carson Benge stand out to me as prospects that I believe the Mets would be reluctant to move, especially for rental players. I would keep an eye on the pitching depth of the system being the spot where New York is most active in discussions with other clubs.
There will come a time that Stearns and the Mets will end up moving top prospects to get an impact player. Just think back to when Stearns acquired Christian Yelich from the Marlins when he was with the Brewers.
The question: Is this month the time that happens? Only time will tell.
Below are a few mock trades at different acquisition cost levels that could fill some of the Mets' needs. For clarity, I am not saying the Mets would do all of the below deals, but I tried to find fits for the team's top needs.
Mets acquire OF Jarren Duran from the Red Sox for RHP Brandon Sproat (preseason No. 1 prospect), 1B Ryan Clifford (preseason No. 4 prospect), RHP Blade Tidwell (preseason No. 12 prospect)
This one may be unlikely given the Red Sox rallied off 10 consecutive wins heading into the break and look more like a playoff team now than they did a few weeks ago.
That could lead to them hanging onto Duran at least until the offseason. But with an excess of talent in the outfield, they could look to move him for controllable, near big-league ready pitching.
Clifford could potentially be Boston's long-term solution at first base.
The Mets would have probably the best outfield in baseball with Brandon Nimmo in left, Duran in center and Juan Soto in right. Duran is having a somewhat down year by his standards, with a .749 OPS. But he does have 25 doubles, 10 triples, eight home runs and 16 stolen bases at the All-Star break.
Duran is also under team control through the 2028 season.
Sproat has turned his season around lately, pitching with conviction. He has 18.0 straight scoreless innings and his stuff has ticked up. His fastball is back into the upper 90s, touching 100. And he has further emphasized his curveball and changeup. Sproat looks to be on the precipice of being big-league ready.
Clifford is having a strong year with Double-A Binghamton, with an .814 OPS and Eastern League leading 17 home runs and 54 RBI. His strikeout rate is down a little from last year but still a little higher than you’d like it to be at 27 percent.
Tidwell has gotten looks at the big league level with inconsistent results thus far. He has good stuff and has missed bats at the Triple-A level, but there are questions regarding if he projects as a starter or reliever long-term.
Mets acquire OF Cedric Mullins and LHP Gregory Soto from the Orioles for RHP Nate Dohm (preseason No. 20 prospect) and RHP Jack Wenninger (preseason No. 27 prospect)
Center field? Check. A reliever? Check. The Orioles could be a great trading partner for the Mets this month as they have options at every position of need for New York.
Mullins is hitting .218 with a .713 OPS while hitting 13 home runs and stealing 13 bases.
Last year, Mullins had a down first half as well (.621 OPS), but he had a massive second half (.831 OPS). And the Mets would be buying him as at minimum a platoon partner for Tyrone Taylor -- and like Taylor, he is a plus defender in center.
Soto has a 3.74 ERA in 42 games spanning 33.2 innings with 40 strikeouts. He averages 96.7 mph on his fastball and has a well above average 27.4 percent strikeout rate. He can at times have his control come and go, but Soto could combine with Brooks Raley to give the Mets two impactful lefties in the pen in the second half.
Both Mullins and Soto are free agents at the end of the season.
The Orioles would get two intriguing arms having strong seasons in Dohm (3.12 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 57.2 innings split between Low-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn) and Wenninger (3.01 ERA with 107 strikeouts in 86.2 innings for Double-A Binghamton).
Mets acquire RHP David Bednar from the Pirates for OF Drew Gilbert (preseason No. 10 prospect) and C/1B/OF Chris Suero (preseason No. 25 prospect)
The Mets could use a reliever they can rely on to be the setup man for Edwin Diaz, essentially forming a two-headed monster at the back end of games.
Bednar is under team control through 2026, with one more year of arbitration remaining.
In 2025 he's posted a 2.53 ERA in 32 innings with 45 strikeouts. His fastball is averaging 97.1 mph and he is in the 96th percentile in strikeout rate.
Being able to shift down the roles of the likes of Reed Garrett, Ryne Stanek and Huascar Brazoban would only make the Mets' bullpen even more dangerous down the stretch.
The Pirates need bats, and Gilbert is a player that they could call up and give a shot to play right field nearly right away to join an outfield with Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz. Dating back to June 11, Gilbert is hitting .284/.368/.569 (.936 OPS) with seven home runs and 22 RBI in 28 games for Triple-A Syracuse.
Suero is a good athlete who has spent time behind the plate, at first base, and in left field this year for Brooklyn. The 21-year-old is hitting .240/.382/.455 with 13 home runs, 51 RBI and 25 stolen bases.
Mets acquire RHP Zac Gallen from the Diamondbacks for INF Jesus Baez (preseason No. 6 prospect) and LHP Zach Thornton (not ranked in preseason top 30)
The Mets received encouraging performances from Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea over the weekend before the break. But with Senga struggling to stay healthy consistently, Manaea pitching through a loose body in his elbow, and a question of how long Clay Holmes will remain a starter this year, they need to add here.
Gallen is having a down year with a 5.40 ERA, but this is a former Cy Young candidate who has been better in July -- with a 3.50 ERA over three starts. One of the biggest differences is that his knuckle curve was one of the best pitches in baseball in 2024, and it has not been nearly as effective in 2025.
If you put him with Jeremy Hefner and this Mets' pitching apparatus during a pennant race, you may get the best of him as he heads into free agency this winter -- an improved Gallen surely could be a playoff starter for the Mets.
I think Gallen will be a popular trade candidate if available, so the price will not be cheap.
Baez is an infielder who has played second, third, and shortstop. He is slashing .251/.343/.398 with nine home runs and 41 RBI across 71 games between St. Lucie and Brooklyn. He shows a propensity to hit the ball hard with natural loft in his swing and has a good plan at the plate, where he has a low strikeout rate to go with an above average walk rate. Baez would be an upside buy for Arizona.
Thornton was one of the best performers in the Mets' minors prior to an oblique injury that will keep him out into the second half.
He has a 1.98 ERA in 14 starts between Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton, with 78 strikeouts and a minuscule 11 walks in 72.2 innings. He’s not going to blow anyone away with his stuff, but it’s a fastball in the 91-94 mph range, a gyro slider, curve and changeup. He projects as a potential back end starter.
Whether it's any of the above trades or not, Stearns and the Mets are in a position where there are holes to be filled on this club. And in the next couple of weeks they'll have decisions on their hands and a duty to improve the roster in pursuit of their first World Series championship since 1986.
