The Mets are not yet open for business
Monday brought an increase in the seriousness and specificity of trade discussions across the industry, and even a few deals. But rivals poking around about the Mets found that the team was not ready to sell.
Mets people confirmed that the team is not yet open for business, despite a frustrating series loss in Boston over the weekend. That imbues the upcoming two-game subway miniseries at Yankee Stadium with even more significance than usual.
Mets brass has never been eager to sell, and will probably wait for a moment when that becomes absolutely necessary. In the meantime, their pro scouts are fanned out all over the minor leagues for targeted scouting of potential returns.
With rival scouts following the Mets’ potential rental players like David Robertson and Tommy Pham, and controllable players like Jose Quintana and Mark Canha, the industry is waiting to see what the Mets will do. Word even surfaced late Monday of outside interest in the ultra-pricey Justin Verlander.
Between now and Aug. 1, Mets GM Billy Eppler and owner Steve Cohen must weigh the returns for their players and decide if those returns are worth spiraling into a 90-plus loss, post-fire sale season.
An alternative path would be to hold onto most of their veterans and continue to try to win and contend for a Wild Card berth. The Mets’ 14.4 percent playoff odds on Monday, per Fangraphs, do not make a strong case for this strategy, but there are downsides to selling, too, as middling teams have gotten hot before.
On ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, analyst David Cone made the case that the Mets should not sell, comparing the club to his 1995 Yankees, when the team was 43-42 at the end of August in a strike-delayed season.
The Mets are 46-53 and have an even steeper hill to climb.
But, as Cone noted, the manager of that ‘95 Yankees team was none other than Buck Showalter.
