Potential Mets trade candidate has no interest in getting dealt

The New York Mets find themselves in an interesting spot with about one month until the trade deadline. They've played unbelievable baseball in June to get back to the .500 mark and with just 1.0 game of the St. Louis Cardinals for the third Wild Card spot, but what they'll do when the trade deadline arrives is unclear.

If the Mets continue this excellent stretch into late July, then yes, they will be clear-cut buyers. How aggressive they'll be remains to be seen, but a Pete Alonso trade almost certainly won't be happening. If their Grimace magic runs out and the Mets lose ground in the Wild Card race, we might see Pete Alonso rumors heat up again.

An option that the Mets also have is to do a little bit of buying and a little bit of selling. If the Mets were to consider selling at all, Luis Severino would be a player that many contending teams would want. The problem with that is Severino doesn't want to go anywhere. He made that abundantly clear when speaking to Tim Healey of Newsday ($).

Luis Severino makes it abundantly clear that he does not want to get traded

“I want to be here,” Severino told Newsday this week. “I’ve developed a routine here. I know my teammates here, the pitching coach, everybody who has been helping me. It would be really nice if I stay here.”

Severino wanting to stay with the Mets makes a ton of sense. He's enjoyed a resurgent season, posting a 3.29 ERA in 15 starts and 90.1 innings of work for the Mets after being one of the worst pitchers in all of baseball with the New York Yankees last season. He's on a team that's been winning a ton of late, is comfortable in New York City, and Citi Field being a pitcher's park can't hurt either.

Fortunately for Severino, if the Mets remain in the Wild Card hunt by the time the deadline rolls around, it's probably unlikely that he gets dealt. He's been the best and most consistent starting pitcher in what has been an iffy rotation at best. Trading him would be as close to waving the white flag as the Mets could get.

Even if the Mets fall out of contention, they might benefit from keeping Severino around. Yes, he's on a one-year contract, but an extension could be possible if Severino really loves it in Queens. Based on how he's pitched, it's safe to say he deserves one.