The July 30 MLB trading deadline is a little more than two months away. The Met’s season so far suggests that the Mets will more likely be sellers than buyers. Barring some unforeseen winning streak or even a winning month, there’s a good chance there will be some changes to the roster before the season ends. Which players might stay, and which might go?
First keep in mind a player’s contract status. The Mets total adjusted payroll allocation for the current seasonis $307,844,513.00. In 2025 the expiring contracts of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander will come off the books giving the Mets a great deal more payroll flexibility. That’s why the Mets are thought to be contenders to sign free-agent-to-be Juan Soto in the coming off-season.
On the official 40-man roster the Mets have 20 players who will no longer be under contract with the Mets for 2025.
Pitchers
Luis Severino
Jose Quintana
Sean Manaea
Adrian Houser
David Peterson
Joey Lucchesi
Jorge Lopez
Adam Ottovino
Brooks Raley – out for the 2024 season
Drew Smith
Jake Diekman (Mets have a team option for 2025)
Position Players
Pete Alonso
Harrison Bader
J.D. Martinez
Omar Narvaez
Tomas Nido
J.D. Martinez
D.J. Stewart
Tyrone Taylor
The only players under contract for the 2025 season are:
Francisco Lindor
Brandon Nimmo
Starling Marte
Jeff McNeil
Kodai Senga
Edwin Diaz
Notable players not under contract for 2025 but Mets have team control:
Tylor Megill
Brett Baty
Francisco Alvarez
Mark Vientos
Ronny Mauricio
Christian Scott
The 2024 Mets are not a serious contender for a World Series. This was understood and stated before the season by POBO David Stearns. Having future payroll flexibility was the underlying strategy in signing so many players like Severino, Manaea, Houser, Bader, Martinez, and Taylor, to one-year contracts. That was in combination with knowing 14 other players were on expiring deals.
The Mets were said to have done well in maximizing the return for trading Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in 2023. But both of those players were under contract for 2024 and were not traded on expiring contracts. And remember Mets picked up much of that tab. The big story of the off-season, and continuing into the first third of the season is what will the Mets do with Pete Alonso?
Alonso could be traded before July 30, although the return will be diminished since Pete will be a free agent after the season. The Mets could even trade Alonso and resign him this off season. The roster holdovers will most certainly be Lindor, Nimmo, Senga, and Diaz. Is Pete Alonso part of that core? Aside from an exciting 2022 campaign, this core has not produced as well as its individual parts suggest it should. Management might feel it’s time for major changes to the roster.
What’s coming up from the farm system
While the up young players in the organization have shown some promise, so far in 2024 none of the position players are exactly knocking on the door of being a major leaguer, but a couple of them may be seen playing in Queens before the season is over. Having already brought up Scott, Blake Tidwell and Brandon Sproat also could pitch for the big club this year.
The players who might be bidding adieu to the Mets are any of the players on one-year or expiring contracts, as well as Marte, McNeil, J.D. Martinez, and yes, Pete Alonso. There’s a good argument to be made that the Mets should clean house and bring in some fresh young blood as the Mets currently have a roster with the oldest average player age in MLB.
Trading Alonso, because he’s been so important to the franchise both as a player and as a team representative,is the most difficult decision Stearns will have to make. It would be very difficult for Mets fans to watch Pete wear a different uniform. Stearns and owner Steve Cohen are ruthless when it comes to evaluating the team’s present and future. Don’t be shocked if a full-scale housecleaning begins before July 30th. A very different 2025 Mets team is in the offing.
