Jul 10, 2026 2:20 PM
As New York shifts into sell mode, veteran lefty Brooks Raley emerges as a strategic target for contenders seeking bullpen depth and proven success against elite power hitters.
Barring a surprising turn of events, the New York Mets are going to be sellers at this year's MLB trade deadline.
The Mets are 38-54 entering Wednesday, and they have had one of the worst records in MLB all season long.
It remains to be seen which pieces the Mets part with. David Peterson was already traded to the Chicago Cubs, and Freddy Peralta is expected to be another pitcher who draws heavy interest prior to the August 3 deadline.
How far David Stearns and the front office will want to go is the question mark.
Regardless, there are some other options that won't net the Mets much in return. Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report named 10 buy-low options, and 38-year-old reliever Brooks Raley was on the list.
"Brooks Raley might not be the guy an NL contender acquires to get Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper or Matt Olson out in the eighth inning, but he could be someone an aggressive manager turns to in the sixth to try to get out of a jam against a tough lefty. Lefties are hitting just .188 with a .572 OPS against Raley this year," Kelly wrote.
Raley has bounced around quite a bit in MLB. He has spent time with each of the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays before spending four seasons with the Mets.
He is 0-3 this year, but he has a 2.23 ERA in 32.1 innings pitched.
A.J. Minter is another player who should be traded, and Will Sammon of The Athletic mentioned that he would be "shocked" if Raley and Minter will still in Queens after the deadline.
Contending teams are always looking for bullpen help, especially veteran options who can make a difference during the playoff run.
The Mets might want to trade other pieces that could land them a massive return, and neither one of Minter or Raley will bring in a sizable return.
On the other hand, trading those two players and others could reshape the farm system for the franchise and set them up well for the future.
At this point, it is a lost season. Manager Carlos Mendoza has been fired. Bo Bichette might leave after just one season, and the days of watching winning games in Queens are very rare lately.
The trade deadline should be a busy time for the Mets, but not the way fans thought when the season began.
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