Steve Drumwright

Image courtesy of Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images One of the best pieces the New York Mets had to move at the 2026 trade deadline is on the move. The Mets dealt right-handed reliever Luke Weaver to the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. The Mets are receiving just one player, but it is prospect shortstop Sammy Stafura, who is the No. 9 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 25 by Baseball America. The Mets are also paying $2 million this year and $6 million next year on Weaver's contract, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. He is making $9.5 million this year and $12.5 million in 2027. There is due about $2.8 million for the remainder of this year. The Pirates were desperate to upgrade their bullpen and Weaver certainly does that. Weaver has appeared in 42 games and 44 innings this year, with a 2.82 FIP (1.84 ERA), having walk rate of 6.5% and a strikeout rate of 26.6%. Stafura is 21 years old and was the Pirates' second-round draft choice in 2023 out of Panas High School in Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. He has spent time on the injured list this year and had a rehab assignment at the Low-A level before returning to High-A. Between the two, Stafura has a .276/.367/.593 slash line with 20 homers and 54 RBIs in 60 games. While he has 30 walks, Stafura has a whopping 78 strikeouts, a 30.1% rate. View full article

Image courtesy of Dale Zanine-Imagn Images The New York Mets have made a third subtraction at this year's trade deadline, sending veteran right-handed reliever Huascar Brazoban to the Chicago White Sox for two prospect pitchers, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Mets are receiving right-handers Gabe Davis, a starter who is at Double-A, and Zach Franklin, a reliever who is at Triple-A. Davis is the only ranked prospect of the two, checking in at No. 18 for MLB Pipeline and No. 20 for Baseball America. Brazoban joins left-handed reliever A.J. Minter (Minnesota Twins) and right-handed starter Freddy Peralta (Tampa Bay Rays) as being dealt from this year's disappointing roster. The 36-year-old is having perhaps the best season of his five-year career with a 3.37 FIP (2.61 ERA) in 51⅔ innings over 45 appearances, with a walk rate of 10.8% and a strikeout rate of 23.2%. Davis, a 6-foot-9, 234-pounder who was drafted in the fifth round in 2025 out of Oklahoma State, is 23 years old and started the year at High-A. After posting a 2.63 ERA in eight starts and 27⅓ innings with a 6.4% walk rate and 30.3% strikeout rate, he was bumped up to Double-A, where he has made 10 starts, but struggled to an 8.31 ERA over 34⅔ innings, walking 10.2% of batters and striking out 22.3%. He did not pitch after being drafted last year, so this is his first year in pro ball. The 27-year-old Franklin was a 10th-round selection in 2023 out of Missouri. He has spent the entire season at Triple-A, making 33 appearances and pitching 45⅓ innings, with an ERA of 4.37 with five saves. He has a 7.5% walk rate and 32.1 strikeout rate. In 129 games over four minor-league seasons, Franklin has a 3.46 ERA. In the three trades thus far, the Mets have acquired four position players and three pitchers. View full article

Image courtesy of Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images The New York Mets have officially moved on from Freddy Peralta, trading the right-handed starter to the Tampa Bay Rays, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Mets are receiving High-A outfielder Aidan Smith, Double-A right-handed starter Gary Gill Hill and Double-A second baseman Emilien Pitre from the Rays. Smith is the No. 15 prospect by MLB Pipeline and Baseball America, Gill Hill No. 26 by MLB Pipeline and No. 27 by Baseball America and Pitre No. 27 by MLB Pipeline and unranked by Baseball America. The Rays have one of the better farm systems in baseball. Peralta is making $8 million this season and is leaving the last-place Mets to join the AL East-leading Rays. The Rays will be covering the remaining $2.375 million of Peralta's salary. Peralta, who was acquired by the Mets from the Milwaukee Brewers along with right-hander Tobias Myers for infielder-outfielder Jett Williams and right-handed starter Brandon Sproat, is a free agent at the end of the season. Peralta had a disappointing tenure with the Mets. In 22 starts, he had a 4.45 FIP (4.99 ERA) with a 9.4% walk rate and 22.1% strikeout rate. His strikeout rate is the worst of his career, a surprise for someone once known as Fastball Freddy. Smith just turned 22 and was acquired by the Rays from the Seattle Mariners in the Randy Arozarena trade in 2024. He has a .209/.281/.392 with 10 homers and 40 RBIs in 59 games across three levels, including 49 at High-A. His season did not begin until May due to a hamstring injury. He was a fourth-round draft choice in 2023 out of Lovejoy High School in Lucas, Texas. Gill Hill is 21 and was a sixth-round draft pick of the Rays in 2022 out of a high school in Somers, N.Y. He has made 20 starts this season, including 15 at Double-A, posting a 4.90 ERA in 108⅓ innings, with a very good 5% walk rate and a below-average 18.9% strikeout rate. Gill Hill pitched for Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic, appearing in two games. Pitre is a 23-year-old Canadian who was the Rays' second-round pick in 2024 out of Kentucky. He also has split time between High-A and Double-A, putting up a .308/.438/.447 slash line with five homers, 46 RBIs and 32 stolen bases in 88 games. View full article

With New York Mets right-handed starter Freddy Peralta set to depart, the only question is where he will land. Among the latest destinations to perk up is the Tampa Bay Rays, who lead the AL East. Robert Murray of FanSided said the Rays are looking for rental starting pitchers. One of those is the prize of this year's trade deadline, two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers, while Peralta is one of the other options for the Rays. Peralta, who was scratched from his scheduled start Friday due to Monday's trade deadline, is making a very affordable $8 million this season, of which the acquiring team would be taking on about $2.35 million. Murray also included names of seven other rental starters, led by Clay Holmes, Peralta's Mets teammate, and Kevin Gausman of the Toronto Blue Jays. The 30-year-old Peralta has had a disappointing season for the Mets after being acquired in a high-profile trade from the Milwaukee Brewers in the offseason. He has a 4.45 FIP (4.99 ERA) in 22 starts with 9.4% walk rate and 22.1% strikeout rate. View full rumor

While the New York Mets can't get rid of Freddy Peralta fast enough, other teams see the right-handed starter as someone who can be fixed before the postseason. At least that is the opinion of several executives who spoke with The Athletic's Will Sammon. From Sammon's piece, which was published Wednesday: "Multiple evaluators who scouted Peralta’s most recent outings reported no questions about his stuff or health. Execution and controlling counts, however, are problems. Compared to his previous seasons, Peralta is losing early count leverage more often, and it’s hurting him. "Whether it’s arrogance, desperation, a commentary on modern pitching or a combination of all three, high-ranking officials from multiple teams see Peralta as a puzzle they can solve with usage changes or pitch shape adjustments." Others feel it might not be quite so simple to correct the problems afflicting Peralta, who has a 4.47 FIP (4.99 ERA) and posting a 3.64 FIP (2.70 ERA) last year with the Milwaukee Brewers. "Beyond that, though, as the same evaluator put it, 'the metrics are the metrics.' And some of those metrics are not great. Peralta’s extension is down nearly half a foot, which is not something, generally speaking, that is easily fixable during a season. Peralta’s average velocity on his four-seam fastball is also down from 94.8 mph last year to 94.2 mph. Evaluators said Peralta can change some movements for, perhaps, modest improvements. But it’s tough to draw up a clear path toward regaining his fastball." Peralta is still a highly sought-after pitcher, although his performance with the Mets has brought on some questions that could linger into his free agency. View full rumor

Could the Milwaukee Brewers reunite with former ace Freddy Peralta? In the latest edition of his podcast "Sources Tell Jeff Passan," ESPN's MLB insider sorts through a bunch of names as Monday's trade deadline approaches and, when talking about Peralta, Passan brings up a potential return to the Brewers for the right-hander, who Milwaukee shipped to New York in the offseason for two key prospects in infielder-center fielder Jett Williams and right-handed starter Brandon Sproat. The Mets were expected to be a contender in the NL East with the addition of Peralta, but enter play Tuesday at 45-62, the second-worst record in the NL and fourth-worst in MLB. The Brewers, meanwhile, sit atop the NL Central at 66-40 and trail the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in MLB by one game. Peralta's 4.47 FIP is the worst of his career and his 4.99 ERA is second-worst behind the 5.29 he put up in 2019, his first full season in the majors. Last year, Peralta had a 3.64 FIP and career-best 2.70 ERA, finishing fifth in NL Cy Young Award voting. "He's been terrible and it hurts playing in front of a Mets defense that (has been bad)," Passan said. While also mentioning and then dismissing the Chicago Cubs as a potential destination in a discussion with co-host Richard Staff, Passan broached the reunion possibility, which would mean David Stearns, the former Brewers president of baseball operations who now runs the Mets' front office, would ship Peralta back to not only the pitcher's former team, but the executive's ex-franchise as well. "One thing I did hear this week, Richard, is that the Mets have been talking with the Brewers about Freddy Peralta," Passan said. "I don't know if that's going to happen, but it's the kind of deal where you see what they would get back from Milwaukee, considering what they gave up, is that a trade that David Stearns politically—already just getting fileted every time he's mentioned in New York—is that something he can pull off? Could he actually deal him back to Milwaukee?" Staff, a Mets fan, retorted that the conspiracy theories would flood the radio talk shows with the much lesser return for Peralta than what the Mets gave up. View full rumor

Brace yourself, New York Mets fans. In case you hadn't already. With the Mets entering Saturday with MLB's third-worst record, just ahead of the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal is predicting a massive sell-off by president of baseball operations David Stearns. The five players who Rosenthal, who writes for The Athletic and was said this in his role as a dugout reporter during the Fox telecast of the Mets' game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, said are most likely to be moved before the Aug. 3 trade deadline are right-handed starters Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes, left-handed relievers Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter and right-handed reliever Luke Weaver as well as outfielders Luis Robert Jr. and Tyrone Taylor. Holmes is currently on a rehab assignment after sustaining a fractured right fibula on May 15. ROSENTHAL_0725.mp4 "I expect them to make at least six trades," Rosenthal said. "You see Peralta and Holmes—Holmes has a player option, but he's like Shane Bieber from last year, coming off a significant injury, but will be in demand and is likely to decline that player option. The Mets don't seem interested in giving him an extension. The two lefty relievers, A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley. The outfielders, Luis Robert Jr. and Tyrone Taylor, and the big question will likely be not (shortstop Francisco) Lindor, but Luke Weaver. The Mets have him for another year. They want to compete in 2027, but the demand for relievers is always high." Rosenthal said that while the Mets would likely prefer young major-league talent in return, they would likely be getting prospects for many of the players expected to be traded away, with the reason being the players leaving the Mets are for the most part on contracts expiring after this season. View full rumor

For the second time this season, Juan Soto is shuffling off to the injured list. The superstar left fielder was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained right calf Saturday by the New York Mets, who called up first baseman Eric Wagaman from Triple-A Syracuse. Soto spent more than two weeks in April after straining his left calf. He had been dealing with the calf injury for more than a week, but was removed from Friday's game and hit the IL Saturday. Entering play Saturday, the All-Star is slashing .283/.408/.539 with 21 homers and 52 RBIs over 84 games. His .408 on-base percentage is the best in MLB. He has been one of the few bright spots in a dismal 2026 that had a would-be contender for the NL East title instead with the third-worst record in all of MLB at 43-61. Wagaman has been on the Syracuse shuttle since being designated by assignment by the Minnesota Twins in spring training. He has been optioned and DFA'd by the Mets a handful of times, including being sent down Monday when Luis Robert Jr. came off the 60-day injured list. Wagaman doesn't provide much offensively with a slash line of .162/.262/.324 with two homers and four RBIs in 21 games. View full rumor

The return of Luis Robert Jr. comes just in time for the New York Mets. No, not because they need him to make a push for the postseason. That is already out the door. But Robert, a center fielder activated off the 60-day injured list Monday following a lumbar spine disc herniation that has kept him out since the end of April, could bring the Mets something in a trade if he shows he is healthy and can perform in the next two weeks. To make room for Robert on the roster, first baseman Eric Wagaman was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets had an open spot on their 40-man roster. Also, shortstop Zack Short, who cleared waivers after being designated for assignment, was outrighted to Triple-A. He has the option to choose free agency. Robert, acquired in January from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for infielder Luisangel Acuna and right-hander Truman Pauley, has a .224/.327/.329 slash line with two homers and eight RBIs over 24 games in his first season with the Mets. He has a club option for $20 million that the Mets are surely to decline at this point. Wagaman has shuttled between Syracuse and the Mets, posting a .162/.262/.324 slash line over 21 games in the majors. View full rumor

Image courtesy of © Cyndi Chambers/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images If you had the thought that the New York Mets had an eye on bolstering the system’s pitching depth after Day 1, that belief crystallized big-time on Day 2. The Mets’ first four picks Sunday were college pitchers, with 10 of their 16 overall on Day 2 being college pitchers. They selected just two high school players, a catcher and an outfielder, on Sunday. That came after the Mets used two of their three picks Saturday on college pitchers, including taking Arkansas sophomore right-hander Carson Wiggins with their first-round pick. They also took Texas A&M senior left-hander Shane Sdao in the fourth round. Of their 19 total draft picks, 12 were college pitchers. Sunday began with the fifth round, where the Mets stayed the course and took Florida junior right-hander Luke McNeillie with the 152nd pick. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder profiles as a key reliever, where his stuff plays up, but could also be a starter with some work. While his fastball sits in the upper-90s, he has a high-spin slider in the upper-80s that is his best pitch. The 21-year-old also has a changeup that needs improvement, especially if he is to remain a starter. He has some delivery issues that lead to his pitches being more hittable. Auburn redshirt junior right-hander Alex Petrovic was the Mets’ choice in the sixth round (181st pick). A big frame at 6-5 and 235 pounds, the 22-year-old had 92 strikeouts in 92⅔ innings across 17 starts that helped make him a high selection after going undrafted a year ago when eligible. He added about 3 mph of velocity, touching 96 mph while sitting 92-93 mph. He also has a good changeup to go along with a sweeper and a cutter. He battled arm inflammation in high school and when he stepped onto the Auburn campus, then had a stress fracture in his elbow that first spring and had surgery. The same injury cropped up the next year, but he chose a different recovery path and has been healthy since. In the seventh round (210th pick), the Mets went with Stanford junior right-hander Aidan Keenan, who was a starter and reliever throughout his college days. The 6-2, 200-pounder battled an oblique injury this season and has trouble with control and consistency. He has a very nice mid-90s fastball with life that has reached 99 mph. He also utilizes two types of changeups, one that is a high-spin traditional offering and another lower-spin split. Mississippi junior right-hander Landon Koenig went in the ninth round (240th). The 6-6, 245-pounder started his career with two years at North Dakota State to little acclaim, but refined his performance at Ole Miss, where he posted a 29.7% strikeout rate and 6.3% walk rate. He picked up a couple ticks in velocity to sit 95-96 mph with his fastball. His fastball hasn’t missed a lot of bats, but he does throw it for a lot of strikes. He also has an upper-80s slider, which is pretty good, and a splitter. The ninth round broke the pitcher trend as the Mets went with a college catcher. That was Cal Poly junior backstop Ryan Tayman with the 270th pick. He played two seasons at Cal before transferring to Cal Poly for this past season. The 6-2, 210-pounder slashed .349/.445/.672 with 15 homers and 43 RBIs in 50 games. It was a breakout season after hitting .254 and .274 at Cal. The right-handed hitter cracked three grand slams as a junior for good measure. It was back to college pitching in the 10th round as the Mets picked Dartmouth junior right-hander Nate Isler, who could be a sleeper pick. The 6-6, 235-pounder has a dynamic fastball that led to 80 strikeouts in 65 innings, including two 11-strikeout games. He did have a 4.98 ERA by virtue of allowing 68 hits and 25 walks. The second half of the draft began with the Mets selecting Arkansas junior outfielder Kuhio Aloy in the 11th round (330th pick), the second Razorback behind Wiggins selected by New York this year. A 6-1, 205-pound Hawaii native who began his career at BYU before spending the last two years with the Razorbacks, he slashed .293/.352/.486 this season, hitting nine home runs and driving in 41. He was the eighth player drafted from Arkansas in this year’s draft. UC Santa Barbara junior right-hander AJ Krodel was scooped up in the 12th round (360th pick). The 6-4, 200-pounder is a reliever who can rack up strikeouts but has issues with walks. His stuff and traits show the potential that the stats don’t. He is the fifth member of the Gauchos’ pitching staff to be drafted this year, led by No. 4 overall pick Jackson Flora, who was taken by the San Francisco Giants. Krodel had a 5.66 ERA this year with 17 walks and 42 strikeouts in 35 innings. He also gave up 42 hits, including seven homers, so the Mets will look to do some fine-tuning with him. It took until the 13th round for the Mets to finally select a high school player. Catcher Jacob Madrid was taken with the 390th selection out of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., the same school that has produced Hunter Greene and Giancarlo Stanton. The 6-4, 215-pound right-handed hitter, who also pitched in high school, is a terrific defender, which will be his calling card and could take him all the way to the majors. An Oregon commit, Madrid has a very strong arm (65 on the 20-80 scouting scale) to highlight his elite defensive skills. He also has some raw power to tap into. The Mets went back to college pitching in the 14th round (420th pick) with Troy (Ala.) senior left-hander Zach Crotchfelt. At 6-3, 215 pounds, Troy was the third school for Crotchfelt, who also attended Auburn and Texas Tech. He helped Troy make a surprising run to the College World Series by striking out 81 in 67 innings for a 3.47 ERA. His fastball sits 93-94 mph, reaching 97 mph and was the pitch he relied on a lot in college, using it 72% of the time. Crotchfelt also has a changeup and a curveball that misses bats even with less usage. He throws from a three-quarters slot with a crossfire delivery. Missouri-St. Louis junior right-hander Dustin Hagens Jr. was taken in the 15th round (450th pick). The 6-1, 185-pounder was a starter in his first two college seasons, but converted to a reliever as a junior and experienced a ton of success. In 20 games and 39⅓ innings, Hagens struck out 57 and walked 18. In the 16th round (480th pick), the Mets went with LSU junior right-hander Gavin Guidry. No, he is not related to former New York Yankees star left-hander Ron Guidry, also a Louisiana native. This Guidry, a 6-2, 184-pounder, missed all of 2025 as he redshirted with a back injury, but rebounded in 2026 to strike out 59 in 43⅔ innings while posting a 6.39 ERA. While his strikeouts spiked as a junior, he was more effective in his freshman and sophomore years, with ERAs of 3.77 and 2.59, respectively. Cooper Dossett, a senior right-hander out of Arkansas and the third Razorback the Mets took in the draft, was the 17th-rounder (510th pick). A 6-0, 210-pounder, Dossett is another reliever that will need work. He had a 6.88 ERA in 17 innings over 16 appearances, striking out 18, while allowing 13 runs on 12 hits and 12 walks. The 18th round (540th pick) saw the Mets take their second high school player. That was outfielder Marcus Ward out of King’s Ridge Christian School in Alpharetta, Ga. The 5-11, 172-pounder left-handed hitter has a commitment to Western Carolina. In the 19th round (570th pick), the Mets again went back to college, selecting Central Florida senior outfielder John Smith III. At 6-1, 200 pounds, the right-handed hitter slashed .322/.383/.574 in starting 47 of the team’s 49 games, hitting 12 homers and driving in a team-high 49 runs. He showed a good ability to reach base, with a 23-game on-base streak. He played his junior year at South Alabama after two years at Pensacola (Fla.) State. To wrap things up, the Mets used their final pick to pick their only infielder of the draft, Iowa senior shortstop Kooper Schulte. The 6-1, 198-pound right-handed hitter slashed .274/.344/.451 with nine homers and 39 RBIs with 11 steals and 50 runs scored in 56 games. View full article

The New York Mets are losing another infielder. And a potential trade chip. Corner infielder Mark Vientos has a fractured bone in his right hand and will be placed on the 10-day injured list before Friday's game. Vientos was hit on his right hand by a pitch from Kansas City Royals right-hander Michael Wacha in the bottom of the second inning of 7-3 Mets loss. The exact diagnosis will be made following more imaging on the right hand, but broken bones have a four- to six-week recovery period. Vientos was thought to be a trade piece that the flailing Mets to spin off for a prospect or two. While his slash line of .211/.256/.388 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs isn't very inviting, he does hit left-handed pitching well, producing a .281/.316/.539 mark with six homers and 17 RBIs. The Mets are currently without second baseman Marcus Semien (strained left hip flexor) and Vientos' injury prompted rookie outfielder A.J. Ewing's MLB debut at second base and Bret Baty, who started at second, moved over to third, where Vientos made just his second start of the season. Infielder Ronny Mauricio is the leading candidate to replace Vientos on the roster. View full rumor

Even if he isn't quite 100%, Jorge Polanco is back with the New York Mets. The infielder was activated off the 60-day injured list by the Mets on Tuesday, with infielder Ronny Mauricio optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Also, right-hander Matt Seelinger, acquired Monday in a trade with the Detroit Tigers, was officially added to the 26-man and 40-man rosters. Right-handers Guillo Zuniga and Alex Carillo were designated for assignment to make room for Polanco and Seelinger on the 40-man. Polanco has been out since mid-April due to left Achilles bursitis. Polanco is expected to strictly be a designated hitter for the early part of his return. He was a key offseason addition, signing a two-year, $40 million contract with the expectation of playing first base to provide better defense. Zuniga was called up Sunday and appeared in Monday's game against Atlanta, going one hitless inning with no walks and a strikeout. Carillo, while he had been on the 40-man roster, had not pitched in the majors this season after making his MLB debut last year with three appearances. He has compiled a 5.57 ERA in 21 appearances and 21 innings at Triple-A this year. View full rumor