Update reveals when Mets could become sellers ahead of trade deadline

A previous report suggested that the New York Mets could begin trading players not locked down via multiyear contracts to advertised contenders in June if the club isn't soon "back" in the playoff race. The Mets will enter this weekend's three-game series at the San Diego Padres sitting at 27-35, so it's fair to wonder when New York could begin taking calls about key contributors ahead of the summer trade deadline. 

For a mailbag published on Thursday, MLB insider Chelsea Janes of SNY revealed that Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns and team owner Steve Cohen aren't yet thinking about punting on the season.

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"The Mets are going to wait this out as long as possible," Janes explained. "The feeling from the owner’s box to the dugout is that they are where they are because of injuries, not existential roster flaws. So they want to give themselves as much time as possible to let key players like Jorge Polanco, Francisco Alvarez and Francisco Lindor return from injury – then give themselves enough time to see if those players can make a difference."

Of course, the biggest name among those players is Lindor. The star shortstop hasn't played since he suffered a calf injury on April 22, and Janes noted that "a conservative estimate for his return would be two-to-three weeks — or mid- to late-June, barring a setback."

For what it's worth, the Mets ended April 22 at 8-16.

Why the Mets will wait to make a final buy-or-sell decision

"The Mets could have most of their intended starting lineup back and healthy by the last week of June," Janes continued. "That gives them five weeks before the trade deadline. I would expect them to give this team as many of those weeks as possible to play their way back into contention. Plus, most teams are completely consumed by draft preparation until the All-Star Break, anyway. I see no reason why they would not take a week or two after that to let the market fully materialize as other teams emerge from draft machinations and take time to decide whether they are buyers and sellers, too."

Janes' update could understandably cause one to think that manager Carlos Mendoza could be one more losing streak away from being shown the door. Mendoza is in the final guaranteed year of his contract, and he seems to understand his seat is quite warm despite all that has gone wrong for the club since the Mets started the morning of April 8 with a record of 7-4.

"Barring a major collapse over the next few weeks that leaves no doubt about their status," Janes added, "I don’t know why the Mets would decide their fate before the week after the All-Star Break." 

Whether or not Mendoza will still be employed by the Mets when that week arrives shall be seen.