Ken Rosenthal hints at Mets’ wild trade deadline activity

New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns had his share of follies while trying to assemble a contender over the year and a half, but one must remember that he did enjoy plenty of success during his first year at the helm. The difference? He was seemingly treating the 2024 season as a transitional period. Several of his moves paid immediate dividends, and the franchise advanced to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2015.

Now, Stearns is about to initiate a similar shift in philosophy, as the Mets (43-62) careen toward an abysmal last-place finish. He will get the opportunity to show his chops as a roster-builder. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal believes that the former Milwaukee Brewers executive will be very busy ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

“I’m going to set the over/under on the number of trades the Mets will make at six,” Rosenthal said in a video that he posted on X. He later reiterated the point during FOX’s broadcast of Saturday night’s clash between New York and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Rosenthal thinks the team will ship out players on expiring contracts, like starting pitchers Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes, relievers AJ Minter and Brooks Raley and defensively-oriented outfielder Tyrone Taylor. Luis Robert Jr., who has a $20 million club option, is also a prime candidate to be dealt elsewhere. Rosenthal concluded the list of potential departing Mets players by predicting that either Luke Weaver or Huascar Brazoban (both under contract for 2027) will be traded as well.

He believes a Francisco Lindor blockbuster will only happen in the offseason, so fans may not have to get used to a new shortstop quite yet. The 2026 squad could look dramatically different, however.