Rivals address if Mets will sell ahead of trade deadline

It appears at least some within MLB believe the New York Mets won't blow things up before the Aug. 1 trade deadline. 

In a piece published Monday, one rival told Jon Heyman of the New York Post that closer David Robertson is the only truly tradeable veteran "of real value" the Mets have and that the Amazins would not "get anything great" in return for the right-hander. Robertson joined the Mets via a one-year contract reportedly worth $10M last offseason and has 11 saves with a 1.95 ERA and 44 strikeouts across 33 appearances and 37 innings of work. 

"That’s why I don’t think they sell," the rival added about the Mets. 

The 38-46 Mets began Monday with baseball's most expensive squad and little positive to show for such spending. New York trails the first-place Atlanta Braves by 18-and-a-half games in the National League East standings and is eight games back of a wild card playoff spot. 

38-year-old co-ace Max Scherzer can opt out of his three-year, $130M deal following this season, while 40-year-old Justin Verlander signed a two-year, $86.66M contract that includes a vesting third-year option with the Mets in December. Heyman noted that every MLB owner "won’t want to absorb" those salaries and would require the Mets to pay a significant portion of the contracts to accept either veteran in a trade.

Some have suggested the Mets could sell slugger Pete Alonso due to the fact he is eligible for free agency after the 2024 season and hasn't shown any indication he'll offer the club a hometown discount. Heyman reports the Mets dealing Alonso, a fan-favorite and potential future club captain, is "unlikely."

"The fans would revolt if they traded Pete," a rival told Heyman.

Heyman mentioned that big-spending Mets owner Steve Cohen won't want to punt on the 2024 campaign by selling the likes of Scherzer and Verlander for pennies on the dollar this summer. Thus, Cohen and his Mets are essentially stuck in a baseball purgatory as they head toward the second half of what's become arguably the most disappointing season in franchise history.