New York Mets trade rumors in 2024 have already started, and they aren’t the good kind. Even with somewhat modest expectations heading into the season, the Mets have found a way to underperform. The silver lining is that if the Mets can get to .500, they’ll be in the race for a Wild Card spot. The problem is that they’re closer to being 10 games under .500 than they are being a .500 team.
Could the Mets Hold a Fire Sale This Summer?
Given the team’s disappointing start to the season, the latest Mets trade rumors in 2024 point to a possible fire sale this summer. New York did something similar last year when Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and others were traded. Once again, all of the possible Mets trades being discussed this year involve trading away pieces rather than adding players for a playoff run.
Therefore, we have to explore the possibility of the Mets tearing everything down and plunging deeper into a complete rebuild.
Hope for 2024?
With so much time left in 2024, there is still hope for the Mets to turn things around. However, hope has been hard to find thus far. The team’s ace Kodai Senga still hasn’t pitched while closer Edwin Diaz doesn’t look the same in his return from injury and is back on the IL. That has forced the Mets to rely young starters and live with a wildly inconsistent bullpen.
Meanwhile, the Mets have endured subpar efforts from most of the team’s core. Francisco Lindor doesn’t exactly look like one of the greatest shortstops of all time while Pete Alonso’s inconsistency has kept him far from the collection of MVP candidates. Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil are both underperforming based on their career numbers. The Mets have also lacked contributions from younger players with Francisco Alvarez on the IL and Brett Baty recently being demoted.
Even if the Mets turn things around and get back in the playoff race, they don’t appear to have the pieces to be a threat in the postseason. That’s in line with the expectations before the season. With the Mets underperforming based on their meager preseason expectations, there isn’t much point in hoping for a sudden turnaround.
What About 2025?
Barring the performance of the team’s young players, there isn’t much reason to be optimistic about New York’s chances in 2025 without a successful offseason. Veteran starters Jose Quintana and Luis Severino will be free agents, creating holes in the rotation. Some of the team’s best relief pitchers, most notably Adam Ottavino, Drew Smith, and Adrian Houser, are also set for free agency.
Of course, the elephant in the room is Pete Alonso entering free agency as well. While there appears to be mutual interest in Alonso staying in New York, it’s far from certain that will end up happening. Since his agent is Scott Boras, the Mets can’t expect a hometown discount from Alonso. If he signs elsewhere, it would create a huge hole in the lineup and be a huge blow to the morale of the fanbase heading into 2025.
What Will a Tear Down Look Like?
If the Mets wanted to tear things down this summer, they could be in a position to add an infusion of talent to the farm system just like they did last year. Obviously, trading Alonso would be possible but a point of contention since it could hinder the team’s chances of signing him this offseason.
The Alonso quandary aside, Severino and Quintana would be viable trade chips, creating room in the rotation for young starters like Jose Butto and Christian Scott. Ottavino, Smith, and Houser would also elicit interest on the trade market.
Other than Alonso, J.D. Martinez and Harrison Bader are also trade chips. The Mets could also explore the possibility of trading Starling Marte and Jeff McNeil, who are under contract beyond this season but could better serve the organization as trade bait rather than solutions in 2025 and beyond.
Ultimately, the goal for the Mets is to build a team that’s consistently competitive year after year. That doesn’t happen without the backbone of a strong farm system. Becoming sellers at the trade deadline would certainly help to make that happen. While it might be disappointing for the fanbase to watch, it might be better for the long-term future of the organization than hoping the Mets get their act together enough to possibly be in the Wild Card race.
