Things could not be much worse for the New York Mets amid their 11-game losing streak. With the team having the second-highest payroll in the league, behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers, expectations were sky-high as the team aimed to put behind a difficult 2025 season in which a summer collapse kept them out of the playoffs.
This season, a summer collapse seems difficult to envision as they will need to rally to put themselves in a position to contend for the postseason. However, if things do not turn around fast, there is a real possibility that the Mets become sellers at the MLB Trade Deadline, something that seemed unfeasible a month ago.
Now, a new ESPN article has listed the likeliest player the Mets are to trade.
Most Likely New York Mets Trade Candidate
ESPN writer David Schoenfield listed the most likely trade candidate for each team, and for the Mets, he listed right-handed pitcher Jonah Tong.
Regarding the Mets in general, Schoenfield wrote:
“When your superstars are either injured (Juan Soto) or off to a concerning start (Francisco Lindor), the entire enterprise will look like it’s on life support. The Mets probably aren’t this bad. Still, most of David Stearns’ offseason moves look bad so far: Jorge Polanco won’t replace Pete Alonso; Marcus Semien looks old; Carson Benge was rushed to the majors; Bo Bichette hasn’t hit; and Devin Williams got hammered last week by the Dodgers. Of all those issues, only Bichette is a sure bet to play better.”
Tong has yet to appear for the Mets this season, as he struggled when he was promoted last season, and has primarily played for the team’s triple-A affiliate this season. Things have not gone much better for Tong as he has a 7.04 ERA in 15.1 innings this season. Despite his struggles, Tong is still listed as the No. 43 prospect in baseball by MLB.com.
Regarding him as a prospect, they wrote:
“With Tong’s mechanics, there are concerns that repeatable command will be an issue in his career, even as he wows others with his dexterity, and he became too predictable in the Majors with his reliance on the heater and the cambio. That said, Tong’s development through his age-22 season was exceptional, and that ability to grow (even after stumbles) fortifies a midrotation projection.”
Mets Playoff Probabilities
Trading Tong could mean several things for the Mets. First, there is the positive way to look at it and that is that the Mets bounced back from this early slump and positioned themselves in playoff contention, and traded Tong for a veteran who could help them make that push. The more negative side of things could be that the Mets have lost faith in the young right-handed starter and want to get a solid return while his value is still high.
Unsurprisingly, the Mets’ playoff probabilities have taken a dramatic dip as the team has a 41.4% chance of making the postseason, according to Fangraphs. They were at 79.5% when the season began.
Fortunately for the Mets, making the playoffs would not be unprecedented as five teams have made the playoffs despite an 11-game skid. Last season’s Cleveland Guardians were the latest to join that list.
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