For the second season in a row the New York Mets are one of the biggest disappointments in baseball, limping to a 24-34 during the 2024 campaign.
And a fire sale might be coming, with Bob Nightengale of USA Today reporting that “a handful of their prized players [are] expected to be dealt.”
He continued: “They haven’t begun yet, but [the Mets] will soon shop first baseman Pete Alonso, designated hitter J.D. Martinez, starters Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and José Quintana, relievers Adam Ottavino, Jake Diekman and Reed Garrett, infielder Jeff McNeil and outfielders Harrison Bader and Starling Marte.”
The 29-year-old Alonso is the headliner of that group.
While he’s only hitting .239 this season with a .792 OPS, he’s added 13 homers, 29 RBI and 32 runs. The homers lead the Mets, while he’s tied for the team-lead in RBI and second in runs.
But his market may be somewhat depressed, given that he’s set to hit free agency this winter, making him potentially little more than a rental for contending teams.
Given that he’s hit 37 or more home runs in all four of his full MLB seasons—his 16 homers in 57 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season had him well on pace to match that mark as well—he’ll have a market come the winter.
Ditto for the 36-year-old Martinez, who is well off his 33-homer pace from a season ago with the Los Angeles Dodgers. For the Mets, he’s hit just five in 32 games as the DH.
Severino, 30, has been good this season, going 3-2 with a 3.52 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 54 strikeouts in 64 innings.
For teams looking to bolster the middle or back of their rotation for a playoff push, he’d make sense as a target.
