The New York Mets may soon face some major decisions regarding the future of their roster, with growing expectations that the club could begin listening to trade offers for several notable players — including reliever Devin Williams, who signed a $51 million contract with the organization just last offseason.
Despite showing signs of improvement in recent weeks, the Mets still find themselves in a difficult position after a disastrous start to the 2026 campaign. New York currently sits at the bottom of the National League East standings, and although the offense has recently come alive, the team still owns one of the weakest overall records in the National League. That reality has fueled speculation that the Mets could become sellers ahead of the MLB trade deadline if they fail to continue climbing back into contention.
One of the biggest reasons for the team’s recent turnaround has been the promotion of top prospect A.J. Ewing. Since joining the major league roster, Ewing has injected energy into the lineup and helped spark a stretch in which the Mets have won six of their last seven games. During that run, New York has averaged an impressive 7.6 runs per game, a dramatic improvement from the offensive struggles that plagued the club earlier in the season.
Even with the recent surge, however, the Mets still face a steep climb in the National League wild-card race. Because of that, baseball insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic believes New York may ultimately decide to sell at the deadline rather than aggressively pursue reinforcements for a postseason push.
If the Mets do move into seller mode, several players could quickly attract interest from contenders around the league. Starting pitcher Freddy Peralta is viewed as one of the club’s most valuable potential trade assets, but the Mets could reportedly go even further in reshaping the roster for the future.
Bowden suggested that Devin Williams, Brett Baty, and Mark Vientos could all become available in trade discussions this summer. While rumors involving Baty and Vientos are not entirely surprising — both were involved in trade speculation during the offseason — the possibility of moving Williams would represent a much bigger development for the franchise.
The Mets only acquired Williams a few months ago after former closer Edwin Díaz departed in free agency for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Williams arrived in Queens on a three-year, $51 million contract and was expected to stabilize the back end of New York’s bullpen. His first month with the team, however, was rocky. In April, Williams posted a troubling 10.29 ERA across nine appearances while opponents hit over .420 against him.
Recently, though, the veteran reliever has begun to resemble the elite bullpen arm the Mets expected. Williams has not allowed an earned run in his last nine outings, significantly lowering his ERA and rebuilding his trade value in the process. If he continues pitching at this level heading into July, contenders in need of bullpen help would almost certainly line up with offers.
Still, trading Williams would not be an easy decision for New York. The organization invested heavily in him only one offseason ago, and moving him would likely signal a major shift toward long-term roster restructuring rather than immediate contention.
Reports have also indicated that the Mets internally targeted June 1 as an unofficial checkpoint to determine whether the team should operate as buyers or sellers at the deadline. Because of the club’s recent improvement, that timeline could potentially be extended if the Mets continue winning over the next couple of weeks.
At the moment, playoff projections still place New York on the outside looking in, giving them only modest postseason odds compared to the rest of the National League. Considering the team’s enormous payroll and preseason expectations, missing the playoffs would likely be viewed as a major organizational disappointment and could place additional pressure on president of baseball operations David Stearns heading into the future.
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