Getty

The Mets have struggled, but they may not be selling just yet. Perhaps a top prospect could bring back a piece that can help them.

The New York Mets are off to a dreadful start this season. They have won three consecutive games and are playing a little better lately, but they are still 14-22, and that is the second worst record in the National League.

New York made a lot of moves this past offseason to strengthen its roster, but those moves don’t seem to be panning out thus far. Instead, the Mets find themselves in the cellar of the NL East, already 11 games back of the first place Atlanta Braves.

However, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report doesn’t think that the Mets are going to wave the white flag on 2026 just yet, especially with a lot of time left in the season and a lot of money invested in the roster. He named each major league team’s top trade chip, and for the Mets, No. 2 prospect Jonah Tong was listed.

“If the Mets end up selling, the Freddy Peralta ($8M, free agent this winter) conversation would be quite the circus,” Miller wrote. “However, two years removed from turning a 24-35 start into an NLCS appearance, it still feels wildly premature to assume they’ll pull the plug on this expensive mess. It’s more likely they’ll trade away their top prospect in hopes of resolving whatever the biggest roster hole is three months from now.”

What Trading Jonah Tong Would Look Like for Mets

If the Mets are going to trade Tong to a team that is selling, they would be smart to make sure they are getting that team’s best trade asset that can help them improve and make a run in 2026.

If that deal isn’t there, then it makes more sense to hold onto Tong, especially given his upside. The right-hander made his major league debut last season, going 2-3 with a 7.71 ERA in five starts.

The Mets are only 5 1/2 games back of the third NL wild card spot, so their season is far from over. There is still time to climb up the ladder in the National League and potentially grab a spot in the postseason by the end of the year. But if they want to go big and really make a push, then it will take trading somebody like Tong.

The Mets haven’t been afraid to go big in trades or in free agency over the past several years, so a move such as this wouldn’t be surprising as long as they are in the race.

How Likely Is It?

While the Mets are playing a little better and are not anywhere close to being mathematically eliminated just yet, the chances of them actually coming out of their funk and getting back into contention are slim.

In that case, trading Tong would not make sense. The National League is a tight race, and the Mets have a lot of catching up to do. The most likely path forward for them is to sell at the trade deadline, which would mean trading pitchers such as Peralta, who is on an expiring contract.

It will be interesting to see if they can turn it around, but they have already dug themselves a big hole, which makes it unlikely Tong will be traded, especially if they end up deciding to focus on the future.