Mets trade rumors: The Mets are “open for business”

Per Buster Olney, the Mets are discussing the very real possibility that they’ll be sellers at the deadline. It’s disappointing, if not surprising, as the Mets were sitting at 31-41 following a four-game sweep by the Dodgers. Those Dodgers currently lead a top-heavy NL West, where they, along with the Rockies and Diamondbacks, are all at least 15 games ahead of the Mets for a Wild Card slot. There’s still plenty of the season left to go, but with the Wild Card Game looking like even more of a pipe dream than taking the East from the Nationals, restocking for 2018 might be the way to go.

The Mets have other good reasons to be sellers, too: They have a handful of veteran soon-to-be free agents just waiting to bring back prospects. Jay Bruce, Addison Reed, Lucas Duda, and Curtis Granderson all have contracts expiring at the end of the season, and could prove valuable to hopeful contenders heading down the stretch. Reed, in particular, could generate significant interest, as talented relievers are always in demand for teams looking to play into November. Other players, such as Jerry Blevins and Asdrubal Cabrera, have team options for next year, but are definitely not part of the team’s long term plans for the future.

The Mets are at a crossroads. Although largely injured, the team still has an incredible talent young pitching staff, with the potential to be one of the best in the majors. But just how far into the future the team is looking is a question they’re not answering publicly. Amed Rosario is on the horizon, and the slugging duo of Michael Conforto and Yoenis Cespedes in the outfield provide a superb start to any offense. It’ll be interesting to see how moving some veterans could help shape the team around these increasingly essential pieces.