The New York Mets have been disappointing over the past few seasons, and owner Steve Cohen was seemingly fed up with losing. During the offseason, Cohen committed hundreds of millions of dollars to the roster in order to set the team up for success right now and in the future. And for a chunk of the season, it looked like Cohen had done the best possible thing for the Mets.
But New York has since fallen off. Now, this doesn't mean they're a bad team or they won't make the postseason. The Mets are still incredibly talented, but the Philadelphia Phillies are gaining a lot of ground in the National League East.
This could, and likely will, result in the Mets' front office getting ultra-aggressive ahead of the trade deadline. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising to see New York swing a few huge trades considering how aggressive they've been this year.
But aggressive and smart aren't always the same thing, especially at the MLB trade deadline. In fact, there are four players the Mets should avoid at all costs this season.
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1. Andrew Heaney, Pittsburgh Pirates
A lot of the rumors surrounding the Mets this season have revolved around their pitching staff. Members of the media and the fan base continue to link the Mets to starting pitchers because the name value isn't there. But the production has been there.
New York's rotation has been quite solid this season despite deploying a bunch of mid-level arms and lacking a traditional ace. With that in mind, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Andrew Heaney has been mentioned as a trade candidate for contending teams, but a deal for the lefty wouldn't make any sense for the Mets.
This isn't a shot at Heaney because he's been excellent this season. But the Mets have more than five suitable starters ready to roll at the big-league level with reinforcements soon to come off the injured list and up through the farm system.
Members of the media might suggest the Mets trade for a pitcher, but there's really no reason to do so. Their pitching staff is one of the better units in the league right now. Unless it's Paul Skenes (which isn't going to happen), the Mets need to avoid it like the plague.
2. Erick Fedde, St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals will likely enter a bit of a fire sale in the coming weeks. They're above .500, but not a real postseason threat. Even if they find a way to sneak into the third wild card spot, they won't be contenders for the National League pennant or the World Series.
St. Louis understands this and will likely begin trading expiring players in the near future. Erick Fedde is almost a guarantee to be dealt away, especially considering how talented the Cardinals pitchers are in the minor leagues. Either Tink Hence or Quinn Mathews will be big league ready and in a spot to take Fedde's place in the near future.
But this doesn't mean the Mets should trade for the righty. Fedde is a very similar situation to Heaney. The Mets don't need to add more pitching with the way their staff is throwing right now.
Fedde would be affordable in a deal, but it's likely because he's soon going to regress to the mean. His xERA and xBA are among the worst in the league. The Cardinals will likely shop him in the coming weeks, and the Mets would be making a mistake if they pursued him.
3. Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox star outfielder Luis Robert Jr. has been one of the top trade candidates in baseball for the last year or so. He had a huge down year last season, so the White Sox were seemingly unwilling to trade him for his lowered value. But his performance has only gotten worse in 2025, which is good for potential suitors because it means the White Sox won't look for a King's Ransom to acquire him. But it's also bad news because nobody in baseball is going to be super eager to bring in a .580 OPS outfielder.
The Mets could use some outfield help, and if they believe they can turn Robert's career back around, this could make sense, but that doesn't seem to be the case. While the tools are still there for the young outfielder, the Mets need to see some production before looking for this kind of blockbuster deal.
Ultimately, the Mets would be foolish to look for a deal for Robert, especially for anything besides minimal prospect capital. Somebody in baseball is going to trade for the White Sox outfielder, but it shouldn't be the Mets.
4. Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals
When the St. Louis Cardinals seemingly entered rebuild mode in the offseason, they reportedly began shopping infielder Nolan Arenado. But Arenado has a no-trade clause attached to his contract, so finding a deal for him would be tough. Arenado reportedly named six teams, including the Mets, that he would waive his no-trade clause for and it's kicked off a lot of trade rumors indicating New York could land the veteran infielder.
But that wouldn't be the best idea for the Mets. In fact, they should avoid it at all costs.
While Arenado's glove has still been one of the best tools in the sport, his bat hasn't been great this season. He's slashing .244/.306/.388 with an OPS+ below 100 for the first time since the Covid shortened 2020 season.
The Mets haven't seen great production out of their third basemen this season, but Mark Vientos still appears to be the future at the position. Adding Arenado would put Vientos in a tough spot for the next few years unless New York was to buy out Arenado's deal down the road.
Either way, this idea doesn't benefit the Mets like it would the Cardinals.