The Mets made a change in the manager’s office on Friday, dismissing Carlos Mendoza and replacing him with Andy Green, who will serve on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.
Thursday’s trade of David Peterson to the Cubs raised eyebrows around the league. Was Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns raising a white flag and declaring 2026 to be a lost season? Would there be more trades to follow?
Friday’s dismissal of Mendoza hasn’t quieted those questions, though executives around the league believe the managerial change may be a last-gasp effort to turn the season around rather than a sign of an imminent full-blown fire sale.
“It typically starts there [with a managerial change],” a National League executive said. “Even if it isn’t just [the manager’s] fault.”
“I think the odds are they are heading that way,” an American League executive said. “But I do not view those moves as indicators, necessarily.”
At 34-47 following a six-game losing streak, the Mets entered the weekend trailing the first-place Braves by 15 games in the NL East and 9 1/2 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot. According to FanGraphs, the Mets have only a 5.3% chance of reaching the postseason, potentially setting them up as summer sellers.
“I would be surprised if that happened,” an NL executive said when asked if he believed Stearns would start selling soon. “I would imagine that if it was a full-on sale at this point, there would be a chance Stearns would have been fired, as well. I guess it depends on what ‘full-on sale’ means; a couple of those contracts would be hard to move and I doubt they would look to move their younger guys.”
That’s seemingly one of Stearns’ biggest issues with less than six weeks remaining until the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline. Even if he decides to become a seller, how many pieces do the Mets truly have to shop around?
The top trade candidate is an obvious one: right-hander Freddy Peralta. Acquired in a deal with the Brewers this past winter, Peralta was supposed to be the Mets’ ace this season -- or at least a veteran atop the rotation to pair with rookie phenom Nolan McLean -- something they have been lacking during Stearns’ three years in charge of the baseball operations department.
But Peralta -- who will be a free agent after the season -- has been up and down, going 5-6 with a 4.53 ERA in 17 starts. After posting a 3.10 ERA in his first nine starts, the 30-year-old has a 6.21 ERA over his last eight, allowing four or more runs in half of those outings -- including a 2 2/3-inning, 10-run implosion against the Phillies last Saturday. He did pitch reasonably well on Thursday night, allowing three unearned runs, showing potential suitors that he can still be impactful.
“If things continue to go this way, you’d have to think they’ll trade Peralta,” an NL executive said. “Especially without an extension.”
In addition to Peralta, the Mets’ other expiring contracts include lefty relievers A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley and outfielder Tyrone Taylor, while outfielder Luis Robert Jr. -- who is on the injured list with a lumbar spine disc herniation and likely out until sometime in the second half of the season -- has a $20 million club option for 2027 with a $2 million buyout.
Minter and Raley could bring back decent returns, as might fellow relievers Luke Weaver (signed for $12.5 million in 2027) and Huascar Brazobán (arbitration-eligible for two more years). In fact, given Brazobán’s 1.82 ERA and multiple years of team control, he might end up being the most appealing name among these bullpen arms.
Right-hander Clay Holmes can opt out of the final year and $12 million on his contract after this season, which is the likely scenario given how effective he has been since moving into a starting role in 2025. But Holmes is on the injured list with a fractured right fibula that will likely keep him out until August, hampering his trade value. And potential suitors could be scared off by the opt-out, knowing that if he pitches well, he’s going to leave, while they will assume the risk if he isn’t as effective after the leg heals (or if he gets injured again).
Similarly, infielder Bo Bichette is earning $40 million this season and has a pair of $42 million player options for 2027 and 2028, making him a difficult player to trade.
“It’s tough,” an NL executive said. “I don’t see Bichette being a positive asset at that price point, especially with the player options.”
The rest of the Mets’ notable players are either signed long term for big dollars and a part of the core, or are making more money than their performance currently warrants.
- Juan Soto (signed through 2039 for more than $600 million)
- Francisco Lindor (signed through 2031 for approximately $156 million)
- Marcus Semien (signed through 2028 for approximately $59 million)
- Sean Manaea (signed through 2027 for approximately $37 million)
- Jorge Polanco (signed through 2027 for approximately $27 million)
- Devin Williams (signed through 2028 for approximately $38 million)
- Kodai Senga (signed through 2027 for approximately $22 million)
“They could trade Holmes and Peralta, for sure,” an NL executive said. “That being said, a lot of their signs -- Polanco, Robert, Bichette and Semien -- aren’t necessarily positive assets on paper. So that might limit the scope of a ‘full-on sale.’”
The Mets could look to move controllable players such as Francisco Alvarez (two years of arbitration remaining), Mark Vientos and Brett Baty (three years of arbitration each), though Alvarez is the only one of that trio having a productive season at the plate despite missing nearly a month with a torn meniscus.
“I could see them moving one-year guys or shuffling money around, but I doubt they would move controllable players who are contributing or trade prospects to move contracts,” an NL executive said. “Peralta would obviously be the interesting one to see which way they go.”
Perhaps the managerial change will have a similar effect as it did in Philadelphia, where the Phillies have gone 36-17 under Don Mattingly after opening the season 9-19 under former manager Rob Thomson. And on Friday night, Soto and Lindor will be in the lineup together for the first time in more than two months. But if things continue in the current direction, Stearns could find himself looking to offload players between now and the Deadline.
“I have no idea,” an NL executive said of what would happen with the Mets’ roster. “I’m not sure anyone else does besides David and Steve Cohen.”