Mets trade deadline: Where things stand on Francisco Lindor, Clay Holmes and more
NEW YORK — With conversation active across the sport this weekend, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Friday that he has to be “open-minded” and will “not close any paths down.”
That said, when asked specifically about the possibility of trading franchise shortstop Francisco Lindor, Stearns said: “I’m not going to rule out any specific player on anything. I don’t think that’s wise for me to do. What I will say is, we’ve got a group of young players, and we’ve got some potential future Hall of Famers that we view as our core. And we expect them to be our core.”
Lindor is the biggest name among those rumored to be available for New York at the trade deadline. A trade of the shortstop, who is owed $160 million for the five seasons after 2026, remains unlikely for several reasons.
Players slated to hit free agency this winter — starters Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes, relievers Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter and outfielder Tyrone Taylor — are likely to be moved. The key question facing Stearns ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline is whether to trade players with team control beyond 2026.
Lindor, catchers Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens and relievers Luke Weaver and Huascar Brazobán are among the other players New York could move between now and then.
When Holmes and interim manager Andy Green spoke on Tuesday, the pitcher assessed the previous night’s rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse.
“The first thing he said to me was: ‘I feel like I could be doing that in the big leagues right now,’” Green recounted.
Holmes threw 51 pitches over 2 1/3 innings that night, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks. Before the Mets faced the Dodgers on Friday at Citi Field, the veteran right-hander continued to reflect.
“It was just good to be in a game and feel the competition,” said Holmes, who has been out since mid-May with a broken leg. “It’s been a while, so just being back and throwing all my pitches was a lot of fun.”
“He looked exactly like you wanted him to,” Green said.
“Bernie Williams is a real one in the smooth-jazz world.”
Green said the plan is to build Holmes’ pitch count back to a normal starter’s workload. While the Mets haven’t committed to another minor-league rehab start for Holmes yet, Green said that’s “typically” what a team would do for a pitcher rehabbing like this.
This situation is not typical, though. Holmes’ next day to pitch would be July 28. If he makes a rehab start that day, he could conceivably pitch in a big-league game for the Mets on Aug. 2 — the day before the trade deadline.
As The Athletic previously reported, the odds are tilted more toward Holmes being traded than signing a contract extension.
When asked about a possible extension, Holmes said Tuesday, “I don’t think there’s been a ton there.”
“It really boils down to what the team thinks is best for the organization now and long term,” he said. “I want to be pitching my best, whether that’s here or somewhere else, the next two months.”
Holmes figures to be one of the better rental starting pitchers available at the deadline. He’s 4-4 this season with a 2.39 ERA over 52 2/3 innings.
Asked if there was an area the Mets will prioritize at the deadline, Stearns said, “I don’t think it makes sense for us to zoom in on a particular skill set or a particular player profile and say that’s the type of player we need to acquire.”
“We see different types of prospects traded in different deadlines. It’s very difficult to predict the type of player that’s going to be traded or be available at any particular deadline,” he continued. “We have to stay open-minded and really see what type of players become available as we engage in these conversations.”
That said, Stearns did say later that the team will need to add major-league pitching ahead of next season.
“We have some young starters at the major-league level that are performing really well that we’re excited about,” he said. “That’s also an area we’re going to have to look to supplement as we head to ’27.”
Along with Raley, Minter can provide a contender with a veteran, established late-game lefty. Minter’s surface-level results have been very good this season: a 2.45 ERA and a WHIP just above 1.000 over 22 innings with nine strikeouts for each walk.
However, Minter’s velocity is down 2 mph from the beginning of last season, before surgery on his left lat muscle knocked him out for 13 months. Has his diminished velocity changed the way he’s pitched?
“It’s a little bit of yes and no,” Minter said just before the All-Star break. “My mentality is still the same: When I’m out there, I try to attack hitters the same whether I’m throwing 98 or 92. In my mind, I still feel like I can blow a fastball by you. That being said, yes, I do feel like I have to mix my pitches a little bit more.”
For the first time since 2019, Minter is throwing his cutter more than his four-seam fastball to both righties and lefties. But he’s used his changeup a bit less, and he said that’s a pitch he needs to work into the mix more often.
The biggest difference for Minter has been with his walk rate. He entered the year with a career walk rate above 8 percent. This season, he’s walked just two batters — a rate of 2.4 percent entering Friday.
“Getting ahead and throwing strikes is even more important,” he said. “I do feel like I have to get ahead and once I get ahead, I can expand a little more.”
He experienced the flip side of that against the Red Sox just before the break, when Anthony Seigler got him for a two-run homer.
“I got to 3-1, man on first with no outs, I was not going to give up a free pass there,” he said. “I had to come back and throw two strikes. The hitter probably knew that and made me pay.”
That Seigler homer started a run of uneven outings for Minter, who allowed another two-run homer on Friday night to Kyle Tucker. Over his last five appearances, Minter’s given up five runs on 11 hits over five innings.