The New York Mets have had their share of struggles at times this season, but still, at 55-42, they ended the first half just 0.5 games back of the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East and in sole possession of the second Wild Card spot in the National League. Barring a catastrophically bad start to the second half, the Mets will be trade deadline buyers.
Chances are, the team will be searching for a bat, a starting pitcher, and a reliever. Whether David Stearns can check all three of those boxes remains to be seen, but the Mets will be put in the best position to win the World Series if he can fill the roster holes at the trade deadline.
While the Mets should be aggressive to fill their holes, they should not be willing to trade these four prospects in just about any deal.
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4) Jonah Tong, starting pitcher
Jonah Tong has ascended from being a relatively unknown Mets prospect to arguably the best in the system. All 15 of his starts this season have come for Double-A Binghamton, and he's posted a 1.83 ERA in 78.2 innings of work.
As impressive as that ERA is, what's been most impressive about Tong is that he's struck out 125 batters this season. Those 125 strikeouts are 12 more than any other minor leaguer. His stuff is, to put it lightly, ridiculous.
Tong's command could use some work, and that's likely why he's still in Double-A, but even that part of his game has improved as the season has progressed. A pitcher with his strikeout ability has a chance to do special things at the MLB level. The Mets should not trade him before seeing him in a big league uniform.
3) Carson Benge, outfielder
When the Mets drafted Carson Benge in the first round of last year's MLB Draft, there was some thought that he might be developed as a two-way player, since he both hit and pitched in college. While he hasn't done any pitching at the professional level, Benge's bat has really impressed in his first full professional season.
Benge has slashed .302/.422/.485 with six home runs and 44 RBI in 73 games. He's tacked on 21 doubles and 17 stolen bases in 20 tries while playing solid outfield defense in all three positions. He began the year in High-A, was promoted to Double-A in late June, and all he's done at the higher level is crush the ball in his 13 games. His great season earned him a Futures Game nod, and deservingly so.
Benge's home run power isn't there quite yet, but he's as well-rounded a hitter as there is in minor league baseball right now. At just 22 years old, the Mets ought to see what they have with Benge, barring a shocking player with club control becoming available.
2) Nolan McLean, starting pitcher
Brandon Sproat's stock has fallen this season, but both Tong and Nolan McLean have really ascended prospect lists. Tong has been brilliant, but so has McLean, who began the year in the same rotation as Tong but was promoted to Triple-A soon after.
McLean has made 16 appearances (14 starts) this season, and he has a 2.17 ERA in 87 innings of work. 11 of his 16 appearances have come for Triple-A Syracuse, and he has a 2.52 ERA at that level. He, like Tong, has had some command issues at times, but that's improved as the season has progressed.
What's been most impressive about McLean is how consistent he's been. He's made 11 appearances in Triple-A and has allowed three runs or fewer in 10 of those outings. He's gone at least five innings in all but one of those outings. He's been getting deep into games and limiting damage.
There's every chance McLean makes his MLB debut this season, and if he doesn't, it'll be by early next season at the latest. The Mets should not want to see him make his MLB debut in another uniform.
1) Jett Williams, infielder
Jett Williams burst onto the scene in a big way in 2023, but an injury-riddled 2024 campaign raised the question of whether he'd reach the same heights he had previously been at. Well, a fantastic 2025 season has answered that emphatically.
Williams has spent the entire year with Double-A Binghamton and has dominated, slashing .288/.396/.495 with eight home runs and 31 RBI. He's tacked on 24 doubles, five triples, and 26 stolen bases in 31 tries while playing strong defense at both positions in the middle infield, and even occasionally in center field.
Standing at 5-foot-7, Williams doesn't have all the power in the world, but he appears to have enough to hit 15-ish at the big league level one day. That kind of power, in addition to valuable defense up the middle, blazing speed, high-end base-stealing ability, and elite plate discipline, has Williams' ceiling arguably as high as any prospect in the Mets system.
Williams could easily be New York's second baseman of the future as soon as sometime next season, and there likely isn't a player who's going to be available who should change that.