Mets Sit at 44-62, Set to Sell Off Freddy Peralta and Bullpen Pieces Before August 3 Deadline

A Lost Season Turns Into a Fire Sale

The New York Mets entered 2026 with an over/under of 90.5 wins. They're sitting at 44-62, a collapse rather than a slump.

With the August 3 trade deadline one week away, the Mets are positioned to be one of baseball's biggest sellers. General manager David Stearns is reportedly ready to move more than a dozen players, according to Sports Illustrated.

This is a sharp reversal from the last two seasons. In 2024, the Mets bought their way to a surprise NLCS run. In 2025, they collapsed down the stretch after another buying push. Now, in year two of the Juan Soto contract, they're rebuilding around a young outfield core instead of chasing a playoff spot that isn't there.

Freddy Peralta's Rough Year

Freddy Peralta is the headline name on the trade block. The two-time All-Star finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting in 2025. This year has been the opposite story: a 4.99 ERA and a career-worst 1.478 WHIP through 22 starts, according to Sports Illustrated.

Peralta reportedly said he felt he "let them down" in New York, a comment that all but confirms he expects to be dealt before the deadline. Given the drop in performance, the Mets are not expected to recoup anything close to what they gave up to acquire him in the first place.

The Chicago Cubs have emerged as a plausible landing spot, according to Sports Illustrated, with Chicago in need of bullpen depth and rotation insurance for a stretch run.

Luke Weaver Is the One Piece Stearns Might Keep

Not every move Stearns has made has blown up. Luke Weaver, brought in as a set-up man behind closer Devin Williams, has quietly been one of the best relievers in baseball this year: a 1.90 ERA across 40 appearances, holding opposing hitters to a .162 batting average, according to Sports Illustrated.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported last week that the Mets may be reluctant to trade Weaver specifically because he's under contract for a full additional year beyond 2026. Rental relievers get moved every deadline. Controllable, elite ones are the pieces rebuilding teams try to keep, not flip.

The Weaver-Williams setup mirrors the back end the Yankees ran in 2025, a pairing Sports Illustrated notes "ended in disaster" for New York's crosstown rival. Whether that history worries the Mets enough to move Weaver anyway, rather than build around him, is one of the deadline's more interesting subplots.

Clay Holmes is also reportedly available, giving the Mets three notable arms in trade rumors: Peralta, Weaver, and Holmes.

What's Not Happening: A Lindor Trade

Francisco Lindor, the Mets' star shortstop, has been the subject of speculation, but Sports Illustrated is blunt about it: "the factless claims must stop; the Mets aren't trading their star shortstop at the deadline."

That addresses a rumor that's been circulating without real reporting behind it. Lindor remains the centerpiece the Mets are building around, not a trade chip. Fans and fantasy players chasing that rumor are chasing something that, per this reporting, isn't real.

The Stakes for Stearns

Stearns took over as Mets president of baseball operations to build a sustainable winner, not just chase one big spending spree. A 44-62 record with Soto in year two of his contract reflects poorly on the franchise.

How Stearns handles this deadline, what he gets back for Peralta, whether he holds Weaver, and how he restocks the farm system around the outfield core will shape how his tenure gets judged. The deadline hits August 3, and the Mets will look like a different roster by August 4.