3 Winners & 3 Losers From the Mets' Trade Deadline: David Stearns' First Major Fire Sale

All the pressure in the world in on Stearns.

Jul 24, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks to the media before a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Mets tore down their roster at the 2026 trade deadline, moving eight players off of manager Andy Green's roster before it was all said and done. President of baseball operations David Stearns was the most active seller at the deadline, but was able to bring in 13 prospects in return for his work.

The Mets bullpen looks absurdly different than it did just a few weeks ago, but it has been effective so far. The group has turned in eight scoreless innings since the trade deadline passed, continuing to be a strength of the team. At the same time, the offense has done enough to support the pitching staff the last two nights, and this team is suddenly more interesting to watch. 

With the deadline gone, the impacts of the moves made are going to be felt by a handful of Mets, both present and former. Just under two months remain in the season, and the Mets are playing for 2027 and player development more than anything else at this point. With that in mind, let's look at a few major winners and losers from the 2026 deadline. 

Winner: Luis Robert Jr.

Luis Robert Jr. is a major winner of the Mets' trade deadline for a few reasons: he did not get moved, he will remain in a full-time role in the outfield, and a full-time spot with the Mets might be his best chance at rebounding his value and getting his $20 million team option picked up, or at least setting himself up to have a nice market this winter. He has been a letdown this season, but he appears to be healthy and should be able to settle into a groove in August and September. 

Loser: Devin Williams

A few games into the final two months of the Mets’ season, it is clear that the Mets are going to prioritize finding out what their new relievers are all about—and not pay much attention to Devin Williams. In the first two games after the Mets’ deadline selloff, Williams did not appear to be a priority for Green and his bullpen management. Kodai Senga and Chayce McDermott worked both ninth innings in the first two games, while the likes of Jefry Yan, Nate Lavender, and Dedniel Núñez worked high-leverage spots.

Even with the game on the line in a save situation on Wednesday night, Green turned to Daniel Duarte for the save. Williams’ 2026 has been poor, which is a major reason the Mets became sellers, and he might have completely fallen out of favor with team management. 

Winner: Andy Green

From the perspective that Green is still the Mets’ farm director, he gets a chance to see several important young names up close, while also seeing his farm system restocked with 13 new prospects. Of note, he’ll get to see the development of the Mets’ new relievers, which is important considering the Mets traded away four relievers at the deadline and only Williams is under a guaranteed Major League contract for 2027. 

Loser: Brooks Raley

Raley was shipped off to the Philadelphia Phillies at the deadline, and he did not seem happy about it. In his first media availability since the trade, Raley said he is “excited to join them… for a little while, at least” and then promptly served up a game-tying homer to Brady House of the Washington Nationals in his first game for Don Mattingly’s squad. Raley did not seem excited to be wearing red instead of orange and blue, and isn’t pitching inspired so far. Could Raley be looking to return to Queens this winter?

"Playing against these guys a lot, pretty familiar with the lineup and excited to join them, for a little while, at least."

Brooks Raley was asked about his reaction to being traded to the Phillies: pic.twitter.com/72xpW556Bs

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 4, 2026

Both: David Stearns

In a weird way, Stearns is both a winner and a loser of this deadline. Stearns is a loser of the deadline for needing to tear down his 2026 roster, but is a major winner for the talent he was able to bring in. Rojas is already a top-100 prospect in the game, and names like Émelien Pitre and Sammy Stafure could be pushing to crack those lists themselves before the beginning of the 2027 season. In another sense, Stearns is a winner for building a roster that in a worst case scenario, such as this year, was able to bring in legitimately good prospect talent to revamp a depleted farm system. He did good work at the deadline, thanks in large part to his winter failures.

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