Ranking the Mets’ 4 Most Valuable Trade Chips

The New York Mets haven't made a ton of moves yet this offseason, and the clock is ticking with a potential lockout looming in less than a month. While most fans' attention is on the Tarik Skubal free- agent sweepstakes, the Mets could be well-positioned to address a lot of needs with trades.

It is fair to argue that trading may be a more efficient way to address areas like first base, which don't have a ton of obvious free agent targets to attack. David Stearns restocked his farm system with a slew of strong deadline deals, and he has a few trade chips that could be quite attractive to teams looking to make a deal.

4. IF Sammy Stafura

The Mets have a glut of young middle infielders, which could lead Stearns to try to flip one of them for a big return. While Mitch Voit and Jefferson Rojas are likely off limits since they could help the big club this year, Stafura has the kind of prospect pedigree that could make him a headliner in a deal for a player with significant club control remaining.

Stafura popped prior to joining the Mets' organization with a 14-homer July for the Pirates' High-A affiliate in Greensboro, which could be a sign he is close to a breakout. Stearns has also used prospects he added at the trade deadline to complete big offseason deals in his days with the Brewers, notably turning Esteury Ruiz, whom he got in Milwaukee's ill-fated Josh Hader deal at the 2022 deadline, into William Contreras by flipping him in a three-team deal that sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta.

While the Mets like what they have in Stafura, the idea here would be to potentially flip him if a surprising impact player becomes available. The dream scenario would be if Houston decides to blow up what's left of their core, which could likely lead to AL MVP Yordan Alvarez becoming available for a haul that could use Stafura as a headlining piece.

3. RHP Jonah Tong

One of the most valuable commodities to move is controllable starting pitching, which can be quite valuable for teams that don't like to pay for starters on the open market. The San Diego Padres' return from the Juan Soto deal before the 2024 season centered on controllable pitching, as the New York Yankees sent Michael King, Randy Vasquez, Jhony Brito, and prospect Drew Thorpe to San Diego in that trade.

Tong is a former Top 100 prospect with elite stuff, but there are questions about whether he can stick as a starter in the long run. Tong's stuff will make him an attractive trade piece if the Mets opt to move him, especially given his significant club control remaining.

The Mets likely would want to hold onto Tong unless they can use him to land a player with significant club control remaining. That prospect could be put to the test if the Mets cannot land Skubal on the open market, which could lead them to pivot to the trade market to land a true ace.

2. 3B Brett Baty

Despite the effusive praise Stearns lavished on Baty at his end-of-season presser, there are a few scenarios that could see the Mets move on from him over the winter. Baty's primary position, third base, isn't available now that Bo Bichette opted into his contract, which means his best path to playing time is a platoon at second base with Marcus Semien.

The optimal scenario for the Mets is that one of Rojas or Voit seizes the second base job early in the season, which would render Baty expendable in the right trade packages. Since the team doesn't appear interested in moving on from Semien yet, it could make more sense as a value proposition to shop Baty now while his value is high after a strong finish to the season.

Baty has three years of club control remaining, which could offer interested clubs an affordable alternative to the asking prices for infielders in a middling free agent market. The play here could be to use Baty as part of a package to land a rental starter.

1. LHP Zac Thornton

As we discussed with Tong, Thornton feels like the kind of developmental win the Mets can play to their advantage in a big way. Thornton wasn't a highly regarded prospect before forcing his way to the majors midseason, holding a rotation spot for the rest of the season as he went 5-6 with a 3.42 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 15 starts.

Control is a big component of Thornton's game, as he doesn't have overpowering stuff, striking out just 63 batters in 84.1 innings pitched. A true soft-tossing lefty, Thornton could fill a niche similar to former Met Jose Quintana, the best possible outcome for that player archetype.

That type of pitcher, especially with all the club control Thornton has remaining, is valuable to other teams and one the Mets can afford to part with if they plan to add multiple starters this winter.

Someone like Thornton would be a potential centerpiece of a Joe Ryan trade, allowing the Mets to cash out on him early in exchange for a higher-upside play in both the short (with Ryan) and long term (with Jonathan Santucci) rotation.