The players the Mets might trade next after dealing Max Scherzer

The Mets have made it abundantly clear that they are sellers, having dealt Max Scherzer and David Robertson over the past few days, and they will almost certainly trade away more players.

Which other players might be dealt isn’t a new topic here, of course, as we’ve been taking a look at those players for the past few weeks. Lukas Vlahos wrote up some specific trade ideas right after the Robertson trade, too. With two significant players already gone, let’s run down a list of the Mets’ remaining trade chips.

Position players

• Tommy Pham: Having exited two games in July with a relatively mild groin injury, Pham always seemed like the most likely player to get dealt if the Mets remained out of the playoff hunt, and it’s very good for them that he’s played in back-to-back games without any issue this weekend. If he remains healthy through the team’s series finale against the Nationals this afternoon, he figures to be sent somewhere before the Mets play again on Tuesday evening after the deadline passes. The 35-year-old outfielder is on a one-year, $6 million deal that even the worst owners in baseball would presumably have no problem taking on. He’s hitting .270/.350/.474 with 10 home runs and a 128 wRC+ with 1.7 fWAR and 1.4 bWAR.
• Mark Canha: While he’s not hitting nearly as well this year as he did last year, Canha has a .244/.341/.382 line and a 106 wRC+, and he’s not exactly a dinosaur at the age of 34. He’s played less frequently this year than he did last year, too, and his ability to get on base and provide a little pop might appeal to a contender.
• Omar Narváez: Contending teams need complementary pieces, too, and with Francisco Alvarez having taken a very firm hold of the Mets’ starting job behind the plate, there wouldn’t be that much difference between Narváez and Tomás Nido the rest of this way this year—and possibly all of next year—given the extremely limited playing time that will go to that backup catcher. If injury is of concern, maybe the Mets are best standing pat here, but Narváez could be useful as a backup for another team with his .213/.316/.277 line and 74 wRC+. Catchers are generally hitting better than they have in the recent past, but depth is depth.

Pitchers

• Justin Verlander: The biggest question facing the Mets between now and the August 1 deadline is whether or not they’ll follow up the Scherzer trade with a deal that sends Verlander elsewhere. While Scherzer pitched very well last year for the Mets, Verlander has been far better this year with a 3.24 ERA and a 3.94 FIP in 89.0 innings with the Mets this year after making his season debut in early May following an injury. His $43 million annual salary might have looked like more of an issue before the Mets made it clear that they were willing to eat salary to get a good prospect in the Scherzer deal.
• Brooks Raley: He’s under control through 2024, but the left-handed reliever has had a very good year thus far with a 2.43 ERA in 37.0 innings, albeit with a 4.04 FIP. If the Mets hold on to him, he should be a good part of their bullpen next year, but even a return that’s one or two notches below what they got for Robertson would probably be a good thing.
• Adam Ottavino: Like Raley, Ottavino is under control through next season. The 37-year-old was spectacular in 2022 with a 2.06 ERA, but he’s still been solid this year with a 3.40 ERA.
• José Quintana: With a 3.27 ERA in just two starts for the Mets after an unexpected surgery kept him on the injured list for several months to start this season, Quintana could be a fit as a mid-rotation type for a team that’s bound for the postseason. Even if he doesn’t match the 2.93 ERA he put up last year for the Pirates and Cardinals, he could help a rotation—especially a younger one that might be more concerned about workload—get to the postseason with more rest and a better shot of making a run.
• Carlos Carrasco: After his latest very bad outing, it would be pretty surprising to see Carrasco get traded. He now owns a 6.40 ERA and a 5.79 FIP this year, but maybe there’s a team that thinks he could be fixed with a couple of small tweaks.