NEW YORK -- David Stearns, the man in charge of one of the most intriguing caches of talent available at this year’s Trade Deadline, camped behind a Citi Field podium on Friday afternoon and ruled out almost nothing.
“We’re sitting here nine, 10 days out from the Deadline,” Stearns said, “and we’re not going to close any paths down right now.”
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As is his custom, Stearns would not comment on specific players as they pertain to the Deadline, scheduled for Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. But it hardly requires a wandering imagination to know whom the Mets will shop.
Speaking in generalities, Stearns said he envisions constructing future Mets rosters around a core of youngsters plus “a couple guys who are likely headed to Cooperstown one day.” Reading between the lines, that means A.J. Ewing, Carson Benge, Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor are safe -- a lineup that sources around the league have confirmed, with the notable exception of Lindor.
Outside of those six, anyone could go.
“I think we have to be open-minded,” Stearns said before the Mets dropped a 4-2 series opener to the Dodgers to fall 18 games under .500. “We’ve been very clear -- [owner] Steve [Cohen] has been very clear -- that we expect to compete in 2027, and we have to keep that in mind. We also have to make moves that we believe are right for the organization.”
For those keen to name names, the Mets employ a pair of impending free-agent lefty relievers in Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter whose contract statuses make them as good as gone. The team has also been showcasing Luis Robert Jr., who returned from a three-month stint on the injured list earlier this week and has since hit two home runs, including a solo shot in the second inning Friday off a 99.1 mph Roki Sasaki fastball. Anyone shopping for right-handed outfield help -- the division rival Phillies and Braves, for instance -- would be a fine match for Robert. He has a $20 million team option for 2027 with a $2 million buyout attached to it.
Beyond that, the Mets possess two sale-priced starting pitchers in Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes; the former will automatically become a free agent after the season, while the latter is near-certain to opt out of his $12 million 2027 player option. Peralta is an intriguing case because his 5.01 ERA makes his market value uncertain. Holmes is because he hasn’t pitched since May 15 due to a fractured right fibula.
On Thursday, Holmes returned to competitive action with 2 1/3 innings in a Triple-A rehab game in Scranton, Pa., where scouts from multiple organizations flew in to watch him pitch. He’s scheduled for another Minor League outing early next week, after which point the Mets could activate him.
Or, some other team could -- a prospect that Holmes neither fears nor embraces.
“The timing of this injury, and just the unforeseen circumstances with the team -- I think all of that is just putting together a very unique, weird scenario here,” Holmes said. “Sometimes, it’s easy to let your mind wander, and there’s a lot of things out there that you can’t really control.
“You do know there will be some impact on your future, but I think just as an athlete -- especially me right now -- I just want to be pitching my best, whether that’s here or somewhere else these last two months.”
Stearns, whom Cohen recently pronounced safe in his role until the end of his contract, which runs through the 2028 season, is the man in charge of orchestrating all this. About a month ago, Stearns cautiously began the selloff when he dealt David Peterson to the Cubs. At the time, it still seemed possible for the Mets to turn around their season.
That possibility no longer exists, at least in realistic terms. Instead, the Mets are looking toward the type of Deadline garage sale they last engineered in 2023, when then-general manager Billy Eppler traded veterans Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, David Robertson, Tommy Pham and Mark Canha to contenders.
That year, just like this one, the Mets never envisioned their season following this sort of path. They never expected to disassemble a roster that team officials believed could contend.
“It’s very disappointing,” Stearns said, “but we will have a job to do.”