The New York Mets are increasingly trending toward being sellers around the July 30 MLB trade deadline, and one recent mock trade has them getting that snowball rolling downhill.
John Flynn of Fansided’s Rising Apple proposed a deal that sends Mets star slugger J.D. Martinez to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for infielder Jose Devers and left-handed pitcher Parker Messick. Martinez has had his name swirling in trade rumors of late, and this deal moves him for a return that could benefit New York in the long haul.
Mets could land two promising Guardians prospects in J.D. Martinez mock trade
Devers is a 24-year-old prospect who has shown encouraging signs in the Guardians’ minor league system. The Dominican shortstop is hitting .280 with three home runs, 11 RBIs, and three stolen bases at Triple-A Jacksonville this season.
His .808 OPS elevates his stock as a hitter who can make things happen at the plate and in between the bags. While the Mets have reigning 30-30 club member Francisco Lindor set at SS, Devers could be a young talent to store for a year or two down the road.
The Mets’ roster also gets jazzed up with a much-needed pitcher in Messick added to their ranks. The lefty arm owns a 4-4 record in 11 games at High-A Lake Country. His 3.30 ERA is stout, and his 1.19 WHIP takes his efficiency to eye-catching levels.
He’s also sent 69 hitters back to the dugout in 2024. The Mets could use a pitcher to support their lineup. While he’d likely be a longer wait to get called up to the Majors than Devers, he too is a young talent the Mets can invest in should they look to initiate a rebuild.
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Martinez may be expendable despite playing well in 2024
Martinez is not having a season that can be bashed, but he also hasn’t looked like his dominant self at the plate from a power and average perspective. He has five home runs and 18 RBIs in 144 at-bats on the year. With 98 games left to play, the Florida native could flirt with 19 homers and 67 RBIs to his totals should he play the remainder of the Mets’ slate, while his .271 batting average, though still impressive, is the second-lowest single-season average of his career since the 2013 campaign (min. 100 games played).
The Mets have tough decisions to make with their season stuck in limbo as the midway point of the year approaches. The 36-year-old may be one of their most valuable trade options. While he’s worth waiting on for an eruption later on in the season, which his track record shows is likely to happen, should the unit New York is working with not show signs of contention, they could look to stockpile young talents, making Martinez, as well as much of the rest of the roster, expendable.