With their playoff odds at 0.1% according to Fangraphs, the Mets’ season is effectively over. That was reflected in the fact that the Mets traded away eight players since Thursday and, if we are counting David Peterson’s departure on June 25th, have jettisoned eight of their prominent MLB players (and one Triple-A depth piece) for a haul of prospects. For most of these moves, the trades were to rid the team of expiring contracts and bring back something, anything, in exchange for 50 games of rental.
Every year, our Lukas Vlahos grades all of the Mets’ major acquisitions and he will do a deep dive into the trade deadline in the coming days. For now, let’s do a quick reaction to the weekends’ moves.
AJ Minter is traded to the Twins for Billy Amick and Bruin Agbayani
Who the Mets gave up: Veteran lefty Minter missed most of the season and a half that he was signed to the Mets with a lat injury. In 2026, Minter threw 34.0 innings in his time with the Mets with a 2.12 ERA and a 3.35 FIP.
Who the Mets got: Two prospects of minor note, including the power-hitting first baseman Amick and the scion of 2000 Met Benny Agbayani, but neither figures to be a top-flight prospect.
Quick Reaction Grade: C+ – if the Mets waited another day or two, they might’ve been able to milk a little more out of a trading partner, but overall, for half the season of an aging reliever, this is more or less what you get.
Freddy Peralta is traded to the Rays for Aidan Smith, Émilien Pitre, and Gary Gill Hill
Who the Mets gave up: Their Opening Day starter, acquired in the offseason for two (then) Top 100 prospects who has been more or less bad all season.
Who the Mets got: Peralta hasn’t been very good, but there was still some value to be had in him, and so the Rays had to pony up a package that isn’t going to set the world on fire, but had to have something to it. That something appears to be infielder Pitre, with a pitcher for whom some adjustments could unlock value, and a toss in.
Quick Reaction Grade: B – Again, not a gargantuan haul, but the return looks better in August 2026 than what the Mets gave up for Peralta in the first place.
Huascar Brazobán is traded to the White Sox for Gabe Davis and Zach Franklin
Who the Mets gave up: Their cost-controlled but old (by MLB standards) middle reliever who is having his best season in the pros.
Who the Mets got: The Mets got a nearly MLB-ready reliever in Franklin, who could be essentially the new Brazobán in no time, and a lottery ticket on a talk drink of water who played college ball with Carson Benge and Nolan McLean.
Quick Reaction Grade: B – I actually like both of these pieces in a vacuum, but to trade away Brazoabán’s team control (three seasons after 2026), you’d have hoped that the Mets could’ve brought in a little more.
Brooks Raley is traded to the Phillies for John Spikerman and Luke Gabrysh
Who the Mets gave up: Since 2022, Raley has been one of the Mets lefty relievers in all of baseball, not counting the year he lost to Tommy John Surgery, obviously. He, like Brazobán, is no kid, but his contract expires in the autumn, so this was as close to a must move as possible.
Who the Mets got: A low-power, glove-first centerfielder and a somewhat intriguing High-A starter.
Quick Reaction Grade: B+ – I think we’d all have liked to get more for Raley, but the reality of his age and contract status meant that it was always going to be slighter than fans hoped.
Ben Rortvedt is traded to the Dodgers for Chayce McDermott
Who the Mets gave up: One of their minor league catchers, who was claimed off of waivers from the Dodgers back in February.
Who the Mets got: A quad-A reliever (and occasional spot starter) who will likely fill the same role on the Mets’ roster.
Quick Reaction Grade: B – I got nothing of value to add to this. The Dodgers needed catching depth and didn’t want to pay much for it. The Mets gain another fungible churn piece.
Luke Weaver is traded to the Pirates for Samy Stafura
Who the Mets gave up: One of the most effective relievers in baseball, under control for 2027 as well.
Who the Mets got: A NY native with a speedy middle infielder who is on an insane power streak right now.
Quick Reaction Grade: B- – I actually like Stafura’s profile a lot, but for a guy as good as Weaver who is also under control for next year, this return seems light.
Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor are traded to the Cubs for Jefferson Rojas
Who the Mets gave up: Their very successful (though recently injured) reliever to starter success story and their veteran fourth outfielder.
Who the Mets got: The second best prospect in the Cubs’ system and a bottom tier Top 100 prospect in baseball.
Quick Reaction Grade: A- – This is the type of prospect that you’d expect for a pair of players like Taylor and Holmes, both of whom have flashed excellence at times this season but have some questions. That said, it isn’t exactly a ‘blow you away’ type of return, hence the A-. It wouldn’t shock me if the Mets tried to bring one or both of these folks back in the off-season.
Overall Quick Reaction Grade: B
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