5 MLB Veterans You Could See Traded Before Deadline

5 MLB Veterans You Could See Traded Before Deadline

29 July, 2023

One of Major League Baseball’s worst teams this season has been the New York Mets. They had a 48-54 record going into Friday, which put them seven games out of the third wild card spot in the National League. Even over the course of two months in baseball, strange things can occur. However, the Mets’ chances of making the playoffs have become so slim that on Thursday, they dealt closer David Robertson to the Miami Marlins, a team that they are ostensibly up against in the wild-card race.

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, there is currently a “belief within the industry” that the Mets may try to trade veteran right-hander Justin Verlander before the deadline of August 1. Regardless of whether or not that happens, the Mets are expected to make more moves before Tuesday at 6 o’clock.

Five Mets who could be viable trade targets for other teams are highlighted below. Please take note that we didn’t include Verlander, Max Scherzer, and the other expensive veterans from New York. Due to a combination of their salaries and no-trade clauses, those circumstances are more complicated. On the other hand, teams don’t need to first get rid of bureaucracy before moving these players. The participants are listed alphabetically.

1. OF Mark Canha
34 years old, Canha technically has one more year left on his deal thanks to a $11.5 million club option. The Mets might still decide to let him go in order to bolster their lineup with more power this winter. Since joining New York, Canha’s power output has significantly decreased. He is actually on track to post the two lowest ISOs of his career while playing for the Mets, with both figures coming in at least 20 points below his previous worst with the Athletics. To Canha’s credit, he still exhibits contact and on-base abilities, which put him above league average offensively. He might be sought after, either as a rental or otherwise, by a team willing to put up with his lackluster thunder.

2. RHP Carlos Carrasco
Carrasco, 36, is having a terrible year right now. In similar circumstances, teams have demonstrated a willingness to take a chance on other veterans; during the early stages of the trade season, underperforming players including Shintaro Fujinami, Kiké Hernández, and Dylan Floro, among others, were traded. Could a team develop a love for fixing Carrasco? We are dubious. So far in 2023, opponents are hitting .356 and slugging.644 against Carrasco’s fastball due to its declining effectiveness. There isn’t much more he can do to limit the exposure of his heater given that he only throws it once every three pitches. A club might believe they can work with him to enhance his fastball or pitch selection. If we had to venture a guess, Carrasco won’t be moved because there are enough superior mid-to-back end starters available. See Carlos’s career stats

3. Tommy Pham, OF
Since some early struggles, Pham, 35, has been a revelation for the Mets. He falls into the 81st percentile for hard-hit percentage, the 94th percentile for chase rate, and the 96th percentile for average exit velocity. He is striking the ball hard and managing the strike zone, to put it simply. That’s a potent combination that might entice any contenders looking for a rental outfielder who can rip apart left-handed pitching.

4. LHP José Quintana
The 34-year-old Quintana only just made his Mets debut, more than seven months after agreeing to a two-year, $26 million deal in the offseason. We don’t believe the Mets have many reasons to move Quintana, who sustained a rib injury in the spring. However, it doesn’t hurt to listen, and finding a path to a deal for Quintana is simpler than for some of the Mets’ other seasoned players. As a result, we put him on here by fully utilizing our creative control.

5. RHP Drew Smith
Almost any other seasoned Mets reliever, such as Adam Ottavino, Dominic Leone, and Brooks Raley, could be inserted into the bullpen. Smith’s date with free agency in the winter of 2024 is getting closer and closer, so we’ve decided to highlight him. Additionally, it’s possible that some teams will focus solely on his arm power and spin rates and ignore his erratic barrel-to-whiff ratio.