Where do Alvarez, Baty stand as Mets determine Deadline plans?

PHILADELPHIA -- Francisco Alvarez hit two home runs for the Mets in a 4-1 win over the Phillies on Thursday at Citizens Bank Park, placing him in the Top 10 among Major League catchers despite an injury-shortened season. Brett Baty clubbed one of his own, continuing his hot hitting from before the All-Star break.

Expect to hear their names more over the next few weeks, as the Mets determine exactly whom to sell before the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline.

The Mets, who are reportedly “open for business” off a disappointing first half that saw them produce the fourth-worst record in MLB, have some obvious pieces to sell. Left-handed relievers Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter, who can be free agents after the season, are all but certain to go. Righties Luke Weaver and Huascar Brazobán may be slightly less obvious, only because they are under team control beyond this season. Still, their names figure to be prominent in trade discussions, along with those of starters Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes. Everyone needs pitching.

Less obvious are players like Alvarez and Baty -- former top prospects who are under team control for multiple seasons after this one, but who have yet to blossom into stars.

As recently as June 29, Baty held a .585 OPS, which placed him near the very bottom of Major League qualifiers. He has since hit safely in 11 of 13 games, with homers in two of his past four, including a solo shot off Phillies starter Aaron Nola in the seventh inning Thursday. That, along with Baty’s ability to play up to five positions credibly, suggests he could garner some interest at the Deadline -- at least as a utilityman.

“I don’t think it’s been good at all,” Baty said of his season to date. “I hold myself to a way higher standard than the way I’ve been playing. I think these last two or so weeks have been the kind of player I am -- hitting the ball hard and playing good defense. And that’s all I can really control, so that’s what I’m going to try to continue to do.”

Then there is Alvarez, whose potential has always been there to see. Catchers capable of hitting 25 homers, as Alvarez did as a 21-year-old in 2023, aren’t easy to find. He’s on pace to hit 18 this season after clubbing two off Nola on Thursday, and that number would be even higher had Alvarez not missed a month due to a right meniscus tear.

“It’s as much power as you’re ever going to see in the nine hole,” interim manager Andy Green said. “It probably means he doesn’t really belong in the nine hole. But there were some great swings from him, and Brett Baty continues to swing the bat really well, too.”

They are players who could certainly fill niches with contenders, should the Mets be willing to trade them. Baty, as an infielder, is more easily replaceable, particularly given New York's relative depth at those positions. Multiple evaluators from outside the organization said there should be a market for Baty’s services, though the return for a player of his caliber might not be robust.

The Mets’ first-round Draft pick in 2019, Baty is under team control for three more seasons, but he holds a career .657 OPS over more than 1,300 plate appearances.

Alvarez would theoretically fetch far more, given both his power production and the dearth of useful catchers on the trade market. Players like him don’t get dealt often. But dealing Alvarez would place the Mets in a difficult spot in 2027, given that they don’t have a big league-ready catcher available in their farm system, and there will be few, if any obvious starting backstops available through free agency this winter. Though the Mets do have Luis Torrens locked up for two years after this one, team officials prefer him as a part-time player rather than a starter.

Such are the issues Mets officials must weigh as the Deadline approaches. Trades for players such as Baty and Alvarez carry both risks and rewards. In that sense, it remains to be seen how open “open season” will wind up being.