At 44-37, the New York Mets are the only team in the National League East division with a positive record, as of Tuesday morning. They have a four-game lead over the Washington Nationals, but they know they can’t afford to relax in what is shaping up to be a very tight race from this point to the end of the regular season.
As currently constructed, the Mets have the best roster in the division, but injuries to their starting rotation have decimated their depth. Carlos Carrasco, Noah Syndergaard, Joey Lucchesi, and David Peterson are out of action.
Mets’ acting general manager Zack Scott have stated the organization will be active in the trade market. He told Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News that he doesn’t consider anyone untouchable.
However, Thosar rightly speculates that there is a group of prospects that the Mets clearly don’t want to trade. It will take a lot for the team to get rid of these five young players: catcher Francisco Alvarez, shortstop Ronny Mauricio, pitcher Matt Allan, infielder Brett Baty and outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.
The Mets don’t want to trade their top prospects
The Mets could theoretically deal one or more of them, but if they leave the organization, it likely means a high-impact player is coming to New York.
Scott said teams have already asked him for some of them, and others, in a rebuilding Mets farm system. “I’ve said no,†he stated. “Just don’t think the price was reasonable for what we’d be getting in return.â€
For now, trade talks are preliminary, but this month should be a hot one on the trade news front. The Mets do have some areas in which they can improve, and while the most glaring need is starting pitching depth, they could also use an impact reliever and an infielder, among other things.
“I want to get down to a place where we know what’s real and what’s just kind of kicking around things,†Scott said. “And then we’ll talk seriously about what we want to do.â€