Alright so I started off with 5 Realistic Deadline Deals, why not go and get a little bit wild with it. I don’t expect the Mets to do anything crazy at the deadline, even if they were to have a significant series against Atlanta (both in the positive and negative sense). Getting swept in 4 games wouldn’t get Stearns to sell at this point and sweeping them in 4 won’t make the Mets budge when it comes to dealing top prospects. But let’s get creative for a little while, what if the Mets were to do some just out there trades at the deadline, how would that look? Here’s 6 nuts deadline deals that the Mets probably won’t make, but are fun to think about regardless

1. Mets Trade 1B Pete Alonso and OF Tyrone Taylor to Pittsburgh for RHP Braxton Ashcraft (PIT #4), RHP Thomas Harrington (PIT #5), and 3B/OF Charles McAdoo (PIT #29)

Why does this trade make any sense?

While Pete Alonso has been having an underwhelming year by his standards, and especially in comparison to his Mets teammates, he would greatly improve what has been an uncompetitive Pirates offense. Tyrone Taylor might not be having a stellar year at the plate, but he has shown flashes of strong play and would instantly be an upgrade over Michael A Taylor and Jack Suwinski. The Mets would be getting back two really strong pitching prospects in Ashcraft and Harrington, and McAdoo who looks like he’s likely to move up in the Pirates prospect rankings sometime in the near future having an OPS above .900 at both high A ball and AA ball this season. For the Pirates, this deal allows them to keep top prospects Termarr Johnson and Bubba Chandler, and still have 6 pitchers in their top 15 prospects, even with the loss of Ashcraft and Harrington. Combine the amount of young pitching talent Pittsburgh already has at the major league level with Skenes, Keller, and Jones, with their need for a hitter to help protect Reynolds and Cruz in the lineup, is giving up Ashcraft and Harrington not a worthwhile risk?

Why isn’t it going to happen?

Where do I even start? The Mets aren’t going to deal Pete Alonso, they know how poorly that would affect the clubhouse it’s not something they can afford to do. It’s also not something that would go down well with the fans, and I don’t see the Mets really looking to subtract in any areas over the deadline even in the areas where maybe they should. The Pirates on the other hand just won’t do this trade, not because they’re giving up too much, but because it’s the Pirates. The reality is, Skenes, Jones, and Keller with even an average lineup would make the Pirates a fun playoff contender. I’m certainly of the belief that, should they decide to really take a shot, they would be better contenders than the Padres and Cardinals. With all of that being said, and it sucks for Pirates fans, but I don’t see them doing anything at the deadline. They’re too timid to add, and don’t really have anyone to sell that aren’t guys who should be big parts of their future plans. It’s unfortunate because I really like this deal for both sides, but there’s so many reasons neither team would do it. I do hope that the Pirates decide to be buyers though, the young pitching is too talented to not see where it can take you, even if it’s not earth shattering deals they have to find a way to replace Taylor, Suwinski, Triolo and Grandal.

Mets Trade 3B Brett Baty, SS Colin Houck (NYM #7), RHP Mike Vasil (NYM #11) and RHP Dom Hamel (#13 NYM) to Oakland for OF/DH Brent Rooker

Why does this trade make any sense?

Let’s start by talking about this from the Mets perspective. JD Martinez is only under contract until the end of the season, and having struggled for the past couple of weeks is starting to show signs of his age. Rooker is under contract until 2028 and would be the Mets go to DH for the next couple of years, making that something they no longer have to concern themselves with. Rooker’s experience in the outfield is limited and he is not a particularly stellar fielder, but my counter argument is that neither is DJ Stewart, and one is a significantly better hitter. Swapping Tyrone Taylor from the lineup with Rooker makes this Mets offense absolutely nasty and should the Mets be genuinely concerned about JD Martinez ability to contribute, you can slot Rooker in at DH while throwing McNeil in RF and Iglesias at 2nd. As for the Athletics side of things, I think this is a beyond fair deal. Brett Baty is a former top prospect who’s still only 24 and might find himself less pressured to perform playing in Oakland. Collin Houck is a first round pick that has plenty of potential and the Mets can afford to let go of given their stock of young shortstops. And Vasil/Hamel give the Athletics 2 young pitching prospects that they can attempt to develop and find some mainstays for their rotation.

Why isn’t it going to happen?

Outside of the fact that there’s never been a more obvious future Brave in my life, do the Mets really have a spot for Rooker? As good of a bat as he is, he would be a liability to throw out in right field and with Jeff McNeil beginning to heat up why not just put Jeff out in the right for the struggling Taylor and let the still red hot Iglesias handle 2nd. Bringing in another DH doesn’t make a lot of sense when even with Martinez recent struggles, he’s a veteran with winning experience who you want in the lineup as the Mets fight for a postseason spot. As for the Athletics, they still have a lot of control over Rooker and will look for a better deal elsewhere (it’s not gonna be Seattle I’m just telling you right now Seattle isn’t gonna pull the trigger, they’re going to settle for Conforto or Arozarena). I don’t know how much you could sell them on Brett Baty and with Vasil and Hamel having down years, the Athletics will likely push for Brandon Sproat, the Mets current top pitching prospect (outside of Scott) and their #5 prospect overall, and I don’t want Sproat being moved, nor do the Mets.

3. Mets trade RHP Tylor Megil, INF Marco Vargas (NYM #8), RHP Blade Tidwell (NYM #11) and Alex Ramirez (NYM #15) to Tampa for OF Randy Arozarena and UTL Richie Palacios

Why does this trade make any sense?

God I’d love Randy in NY. I think he would absolutely shine under the bright lights and in spite of a down year I think putting Randy in RF over Taylor is making a huge improvement and gives you a guy that’s going to help anchor the outfield for a couple of season. Richie Palacios on the other hand is one of the few “Super-utility” men that actually fits the bill. Fields nearly every position he plays well, can steal you some bases, gives you a boatload of flexibility, and is still an above average hitter. As for the Rays side of things, they’d be getting a struggling Tylor Megil however if there’s any team that can fix him, it’s Tampa (Or the Dodgers but this isn’t about them). Marco Vargas, the Mets 8th overall prospect is young with plenty of time to develop and would fit quite nicely in the Rays farm system. Tidwell unlike Megil is a project I think the Rays would love to take on and a guy they could see becoming a future member of their rotation. And Alex Ramirez seems like one of those names that all of a sudden gets it figured out the second he puts on a Rays jersey.

Why isn’t it going to happen?

What is Tampa stupid? Randy is under contract until 2027 and Palacios until 2030. I don’t personally think Randy is even going to get moved at the deadline as I can’t see the Rays trading him at what’s by far his lowest value of his career, and why in the world would they ever move Palacios? For anyone who couldn’t tell this is a Richie Palacios trade disguised as a Randy Arozarena trade. I think Palacios is a brilliant utility player that brings a ton of energy and talent and having him under control until 2030 would be a massive add for the Mets. With that being said is this even that great a deal for the Mets either? Randy Arozarena isn’t a particularly large upgrade for their outfield, he doesn’t provide the lefty bat that they’re looking for, and he hasn’t had an OPS above .800 since 2021, in fact he’s barely over .700 right now. Palacios could easily be one of those guys who’s just having a career year in Tampa and could end up being a complete nothing of an add for this Mets bench, and do they really want to give up Vargas and Tidwell for two average players that might not move the needle at all? This is my personal least favorite of my 6 trades but I included it because I do really like Palacios and I thought it fit in with the nuts trade concept that I wanted this article to be all about.

4. Mets trade RHP Blade Tidwell (NYM #11), 1B/3B Jacob Reimer (NYM #15), and RHP Tyler Stuart (NYM #18) to Texas for RHP Nathan Eovaldi and RHP David Robertson

Why does this trade make any sense?

I absolutely love this deal for the Mets. Robertson is still an extremely strong reliever at age 39 and was brilliant for the Mets in the first half of 2023. He seemed to genuinely like being a Met and bringing him back to help this bullpen and add veteran leadership makes a lot of sense. Eovaldi seems to be getting better with age, and has been a strong postseason pitcher showing up when it matters most. Both pitchers do a good job of limiting the walk and would fill big holes the Mets are dealing with filling them with 2 guys who are built for this type of playoff run the Mets are aiming at. As for the Rangers they’re getting 3 of the Mets top 20 prospects including two young starting pitchers in Tidwell and Stuart. Reimer could eventually be a future replacement for Nathaniel Lowe at first base being only 20 years old with a ton of potential. The Rangers have plenty of pitching prospects, which is part of where this could be a hard sell. But none of their current pitching prospects have taken that leap forward yet. I view the Rangers as a team that’s going to be competitive again in 2025, and having so many pitching prospects that they could use as trade chips at the 2025 deadline could give them the flexibility to keep some of that young pitching while trading some for talent that will help them in the short term.

Why isn’t it going to happen?

I find it hard to imagine Texas take a deal on Eovaldi without wanting one of our top 10 prospects. You can sell them all you want on 3 top 20 guys but it’s probably not going to get the job done for both Eovaldi and Robertson. The reality is I would be plenty willing to look into giving up a top 10 prospect in this trade. I really think Eovaldi and Robertson are great fits for what the Mets need right now, but Stearns isn’t going to move any of their top 10 prospects unless a deal is too good to be true. And unless the Rangers are going to give us Eovaldi and Robertson for Kevin Parada straight up, I don’t think Stearns would consider this “too good to be true”. I’m also confident that Eovaldi will have multiple suitors, and that other teams will be willing to give up more than the Mets in a deal. This is one I really like and would love to see happen, but once again I wouldn’t expect it.

5. Mets trade SS Luisangel Acuna (#4 NYM), RHP Blade Tidwell (#11 NYM), RHP Reed Garret, and RHP Ty Adcock to the Giants for RHP Tyler Rogers, LHP Taylor Rogers, RHP Ryan Walker, and OF Michael Conforto

That last one was too reasonable lets get stupid

Why does this trade make any sense?

For those who read my 5 Realistic Deadline Deals article, it’s no secret that I would love Tyler Rogers and Michael Conforto to join the Mets at the deadline. But really how much can one guy do to help a bullpen? Why not bring in 3 relievers! Why not grab one that’s under team control till 2030? This is one of those “Maybe it would work in MLB The Show” type trades and I wanna make it clear that I don’t actually think this is near the realm of possibility but lets talk about it. Taylor Rogers is in my mind the less exciting of the Rogers brothers, but is having a stellar year and is under contract till 2026, as is Tyler. Ryan Walker is 28 and has been brilliant since he came up in 2023. You’d have him till 2030, and as always the less question marks you have in the bullpen the better. The Giants would be receiving a top 100 MLB prospect in Acuna, while also receiving a bright pitching prospect in Blade Tidwell. Garret and Adcock are sent over to replace some of the Giants lost relief pitching and the Giants essentially get two solid prospects for a bunch of relievers and a 105 OPS+ Hitter who’s contract is up at the end of the year

Why isn’t it going to happen?

This might be the dumbest mock trade I’ve ever put together and both front offices would be laughing their asses off. Please get Tyler Rogers and Conforto though Stearns, I need it.

6. Mets trade OF Ryan Clifford (NYM #3), Luisangel Acuna (NYM #4), Kevin Parada (NYM #10), and RHP Dom Hamel (NYM #14) to Detroit for LHP Tarik Skubal and LHP Tyler Holton

Why does this trade make any sense?

Skubal should end up an Oriole but they’ll manage to blow it and he’ll end up on the Dodgers which I think is the last thing anybody wants. Are the Mets in any kind of position to make this big of a trade and even if they are, should they? My reasoning as to why I would want to go after Skubal is the Mets are in need of that true “Ace” in their rotation. I don’t expect them to go after Corbin Burnes in the offseason and as much as I personally want Max Fried I’d be shocked if he’s willing to sign with the Mets. There are strong names in the starting pitching free agency class of 2025, but outside of Burnes and Fried the real top of the rotation talent is limited. Like I would take a flyer on John Means but we have no idea what he’s gonna look like next year I’m not banking on him to be an ace. The point I’m getting at is that Skubal would give the Mets a real genuine ace to pair with Kodai Senga who they’d have under contract until 2027. Add in Tyler Holton, a brilliant young reliever with tons of control on him, sometimes you need to be willing to let prospects go in order to obtain top talent.

Why isn’t it going to happen?

This kinda goes against the whole “Not blowing up the farm” thing that the Mets are going for. Outside of that I don’t see any reason for Detroit to deal Holton, and Skubal will have much more hungry suitors. Again, if I were a betting man I’d expect to see him in Dodger Blue, but maybe the Orioles shock me and really go for it this year. Either way I don’t think he ends up in flushing, but one can dream.

Thank you as always for reading, feel free to leave your trade proposals in the comment box and I’ll be sure to get to them. I would greatly appreciate if you subscribed as it’s free and does a lot for me and thank you for reading.