MLB Draft Gives Mets Another Reason to Be Trade Deadline Sellers

The Mets left Queens and headed for Toronto at 14-games under the .500 mark. The Mets capped another series loss with a disheartening 5-4 loss on Sunday that pushed the team yet another step closer to selling off pieces at the 2026 trade deadline. If and when the Mets decide to move in the direction of trading deadline sellers, President of Baseball Operations David Stearns and his team must nail the returns they get.

The Mets entered the season with one of the best farm systems in all of baseball, but that has changed drastically with three of their top names graduating from prospect status. Others, such as Jonah Tong, are struggling to maintain their status and rankings that they entered the year with. The biggest to sell, though, will come in the 2026 MLB Draft.

Since the MLB and the MLBPA updated the league’s penalties for paying over the luxury tax threshold, the Mets have been the worst offenders of any team in the league. Yet again, they are set to have their first-round draft selection slide back 10 slots as a tax penalty, and they have had multiple early-round selections due to signing free agents with attached qualified offers.

Mets' lack of top-100 draft picks is more reason to sell at the trade deadline

Looking at the Mets’ draft capital in total, it is not close to what you might hope for from a bottom-five team in the league with a farm system in need of new talent. For this reason, they will need to be one of the biggest winners from the 2026 MLB trade deadline.

After all of their off-season signings and spending, the Mets do not select until the 27th pick in the first round, and then do not draft again until the 92nd pick.

David Stearns talks to media. — President of Baseball Operations David Stearns can use the MLB trade deadline to help restock the Mets' cupboards. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

This setup gives the team just two selections in the top 100, which is less than ideal for what is considered to be a strong draft class. The Mets do not miss any other selections later in the draft, but that doesn't help their unfavorable position.

The team has done well outside the top 75 of the draft in recent memory, including A.J. Ewing, Nolan McLean, and Zach Thornton in 2023, which offers some level of hope that they can still find high-end talent. Still, the Mets will be working at as much of a disadvantage as any other team in the league in the draft. For this reason, the Mets need to maximize the prospect capital they can bring in.

The Mets still have top-100 prospects in infielder Jacob Reimer and starter Jack Wenninger, but neither has made the leap to being a truly elite prospect and remains in the back-30ish slots of most top-100 lists. The Mets have several interesting pieces they could move before August, including Luke Weaver and Bo Bichette, who could help acquire more young talent for their minor league system.

It will end up being a priority for the Mets to sell off talent for prospect capital, especially given their brutal draft standing heading into July.

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