Mets Have Valuable Trade Chips If They Decide To Sell At Deadline

[Matthew Nethercott]

Image courtesy of © Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Entering the month of June, the New York Mets sat six games under .500, five games back of a wildcard spot, and 13.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. Barring a huge month, they may need to face the reality of being sellers at the trade deadline. So, let's project that exact scenario for the Mets, analyzing the three most likely candidates to be moved by August third at 6:00pm.

Mets' Best Trade Chips if They Sell

3. Luke Weaver

The Mets don't have too many pieces on expiring deals, but one thing numerous teams look for at the deadline is relief pitchers that have multiple years on their contract, and that's where Weaver comes in. After a rather rocky April, he did not give up a run in the month of May. For the 2026 season, Weaver's ERA+, according to Baseball Reference, is 137, which significantly above average. According to StatCast, Weaver's hard-hit rate against is 29.4%, which is top ten in baseball, something that teams will consider when looking for relief help. It was not too long ago that he was closing for a team that won the AL pennant in the Bronx. With the way the reliever market moves at the trade deadline, Weaver could be moved and net a decent return for the Mets.

After a less than stellar start to his Mets tenure in April, Luke Weaver has turned it up in May

9 G
10.1 IP
0.00 ERA
.167 BAA
.218 wOBA
26.8% K
1.63 FIP

He's been great in high leverage situations and it may be worth swapping he and Devin Williams roles in the pen pic.twitter.com/gMQUdLckIb

— Baseball Unstitched (@BaseUnstitched) May 25, 2026

2. Brooks Raley

Another piece of the Mets bullpen that could be moved is Brooks Raley. It's difficult to find left-handed relief pitchers that are as dominant as Raley has been early in this season. He's posted a 322 ERA+ so far in 2026 through 21.2 innings pitched. He is striking out 27.2% of the batters he's faced, further offsetting some ugly walk totals by limiting hard contact at an elite rat. Relief pitching is coveted, and as the Mets know from the 2025 deadline, good relievers net big returns.

This pitch had 35" of horizontal movement!
Brooks Raley with a crosswind is unfair. ? pic.twitter.com/3ISvL83pyw

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 10, 2026

1. Freddy Peralta

Most teams that have postseason aspirations need a good, solid starting pitcher to break through in October, and Freddy Peralta would provide any aspiring champion with that. Peralta's numbers in 2026 have been a step back from where they were when he led the Brewers to an MLB-best 97 wins last season. Still, Peralta's ERA+, according to Baseball Reference, is 112, a solid baseline for a playoff-tested veteran. Of all the pieces the Mets can move at the deadline, Peralta will net the biggest return. It's true that Peralta loves being a Met, a team he grew up rooting for, but looking toward the future may require foregoing an extension with the 30-year-old in favor of a prospect haul.

Freddy Peralta — SP | Mets

Last 4 starts:
05-23: 7.0 IP, 4 ER, 9 K, 2 BB
05-17: 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 K, 6 BB
05-12: 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 K, 1 BB
05-06: 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 K, 2 BB

Season Stats:
61.1 IP
63 K
3.52 ERA | 1.27 WHIP | 9.24 K/9#LGMpic.twitter.com/55vaKbjp7j

— PaceBall (@paceball__) May 24, 2026

The Mets have an opportunity to net a large return for some of the parts they can move if the team continues to lose and decides to sell.

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