After a brutal losing streak and key injuries, the New York Mets face tough decisions, and one player is named the most likely trade piece.
Who had the New York Mets losing 12 games in a row on their Bingo card?
Not many, certainly not at the start of the season. Yet, the Mets have struggled, and the absence of Juan Soto (who is now back), was not promising for this team.
After losing Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil and Edwin Diaz, there was expected to be a transition period, but not this badly.
Jorge Polanco hasn't worked out yet and he is injured. The massive signing of Bo Bichette looks like a big mistake early on, and now Francisco Lindor is dealing with an injury after leaving Wednesday's game early with a calf issue.
All in all, it's never too early to examine trade candidates, and ESPN's David Schoenfield named pitcher Jonah Tong as the most likely trade piece for this team.
Tong, who had huge expectations, went just 2-3 with a 7.71 ERA in 2025, and he did not make the Opening Day roster after a rough spring training.
Still, teams would be interested in the soon-to-be 23-year-old pitcher.
Schoenfield jokingly put the team's likeliest need as blood and oxygen, but this was a few days before the ugly ending streak came to an end.
"When your superstars are either injured (Juan Soto) or off to a concerning start (Francisco Lindor), the entire enterprise will look like it's on life support. The Mets probably aren't this bad. Still, most of David Stearns' offseason moves look bad so far."
Right now, there are plenty of concerns, but you can feel confident that ownership will let this ride out as long as possible before making any major moves.
Now, there are some lesser trade options, and Schoenfield named Freddy Peralta (who was acquired in the offseason via trade) and Clay Holmes due to their contracts.
" Clay Holmes has a $12 million player option for 2027 that he'll likely reject, so a Mets collapse could lead to two strong starting pitchers entering the trade market," he wrote.
Now, again, it would have to be a mammoth collapse, and the Mets would more than likely have to be well below .500 by the deadline to even consider moving Peralta or Holmes, although questions remain about whether or not Peralta will sign a long-term extension to stay in Queens.
Frankly, this isn't something Mets fans were thinking of when the season began, but a 12-game losing streak, bad offense, and now another costly injury sure make it something to be considered.