The New York Mets season isn’t over yet. In fact, it could be a lot time before that happens, as even when a team is 45-55, the season is really not over. However, the 16-25 Mets have quite the hill to climb, and to put it simply, they don’t have much to battle with. A huge portion of the lineup is on the IL, and even the rotation and bullpen has seen some significant injuries. If the Mets can’t come back from all of this, then maybe they can rebuild, or reload, for the next season. The Mets already are calling on their top prospects.
Could the Mets Pull Off a One-Year Rebuild?
The Mets Have Two Massive Assets They Could Trade
The first asset is Freddy Peralta, who is going to be a free agent after the 2026 season. Therefore, many teams would be reluctant to give a ton for Peralta, but there has already been trade speculation between the Mets and Chicago Cubs. One name to come up has been the Cubs No. 1 prospect, Jaxon Wiggins. If the Mets got someone like Wiggins for Peralta, it could a heck of a trade for New York. Wiggins fastball sits around 96-98, topping out at 101. He also has some other devastating pitches.
Wiggins is a major league ready pitcher, especially since he is also 24-years old. If the Mets got a pitcher like Wiggins for Peralta, then suddenly they could have a much better and younger starting rotation. Wiggins name not to mention hasn’t been the only player mentioned in a hypothetical trade for Peralta.
The second asset is Clay Holmes, who actually has been one of the best starters in baseball so far. He is 33 and is also historically not an starting pitcher. However, in his two seasons, Holmes has been good, posting a 3.53 ERA with 129 Ks in 2025. Holmes in 2026 has been even better, posting a 1.86 ERA with 37 Ks so far in eight starts.
Holmes is soon set to be a free agent as well, making the 33-year old starter probably less expensive. However, even then, in the day and age of the MLB, starting pitchers, and quality starting pitchers at that, are expensive. The Baltimore Orioles traded Kyle Stowers for a struggling starter in Trevor Rogers for example. Rogers had a good 2025, but Stowers would wound up hitting 25 homers with a .288 average in 117 games.
The Mets Still Have Other Assets They Could Trade
The Mets even then still have several relievers and even position players that could interest teams. Luke Weaver, Huascar Brazoban, and Brooks Raley could be three relievers that could interest teams. All three essentially are high-end relievers. The only problem is that Brazoban is 36 and Raley is 37. Every trade though that the Mets make could lead them to get better prospects. Meanwhile, position players like Bret Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos are some players that the Mets may have grown tired of.
Essentially, the 26-year old Baty has never really been that player New York envisioned. Baty hit .184 in 2022, .212 in 2023, and then .229 in 2024 with a combined 15 home runs. Baty finally became a much better player in 2025, when he hit .250 with 18 home runs in 130 games.
This season though, Baty has regressed, hitting .207 with only one homer in 37 games. Meanwhile, the 25-year old Mauricio has just been a prospect for the Mets for the last half decade. Mauricio had some good flashes as a 22 year old in 2023, with two home runs in 26 games. However, he would miss all of 2024 with an injury and then struggle in 2025.
This season, Mauricio only played in a few games before going down with an injury. The problem with him is he doesn’t really fit into the equation for New York anymore. Vientos, who is also 26, is a bit of a different story though. If Vientos can continue to hit for power, the Mets are either gaining trade value for him or they get a bat that they just like.
In 2023, Vientos in his rookie season only .211 in 63 games, but slugged nine homers. In 2024, he suddenly morphed into a superstar, hitting 27 bombs in just 111 games and also hitting .266 with 71 RBIs. In the playoffs, he was even better, hitting five shots with 14 RBIs in 13 games, leading the Mets to the NLCS. Vientos last season missed some time, but still hit 17 homers with 61 RBIs and a .233 average. This season, Vientos hasn’t been too good, but he has hit five homers with 16 RBIs and a .231 average.
The Mets definitely have some value in those position players. The season isn’t over. However, if the struggles continue, it may only be smart for New York to trade away some talent like they did a few years ago.
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