At the beginning of the season, Tommy Pham and Mark Canha were expected to be key pieces for a Mets team aiming for a World Series title. However, the team’s performance hasn’t matched those expectations, and they now find themselves struggling to keep up with the competition. At 50-55, this has prompted the Mets to take a step back and reevaluate their approach for the upcoming 2024 season.
General manager Billy Eppler clarifies that they are not embarking on a complete rebuild or a fire sale, but they are actively looking to part ways with certain assets to bolster the team’s future prospects and strengthen their farm system. The Mets’ purposeful restructuring for next season began with the trades that sent starter Max Scherzer to Texas in exchange for promising prospect Luisangel Acuña and reliever David Robertson to Miami for Marco Vargas and Ronald Hernandez.
As the trade deadline approaches on Tuesday, a few other players have caught the interest of other teams. Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports that the New York Yankees, Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, and Philadelphia Phillies are all in search of right-handed bats. This opens up an opportunity for the Mets to consider dealing Pham and Canha, who could be appealing assets for those teams. The Los Angeles Dodgers have also expressed interest in acquiring one of the two Mets outfielders available. The Twins are another team that is looking to add a right-handed hitting outfielder.
Tommy Pham. Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Yankees could be an interesting case for one of Pham or Canha. Despite being six games over .500, the Yankees are in last place in the American League East, trailing the Baltimore Orioles by eight games.
They currently are facing some injury setbacks, with catcher Jose Trevino and third baseman Josh Donaldson currently sidelined. Moreover, after designating Willie Calhoun for assignment, they now have a gap to fill in their lineup and could benefit from adding one more right-handed bat to bolster their chances during the stretch run.
On the interest from the Los Angeles Dodgers, the possibility of further additions is still on the table after a flurry of trades the week prior. The Dodgers are reportedly keeping an eye on Pham and Canha, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Recently acquired infielders Kiké Hernández and Amed Rosario‘s ability to play multiple positions makes Pham and Canha attractive options for the Dodgers.
Pham boasts a .268/.348/.472/.820 slash line with 10 home runs and 36 RBI in 79 games, consistently hitting at least 10 home runs in the last six full seasons. Meanwhile, Canha holds a .245/.343/.381/.724 slash line with six home runs and 29 RBI in 89 games.
Pham will become a free agent after the season, and Canha has a $11.5 million team option with a $2 million buyout for next season.
Furthermore, with some outfielders already taken off the market by other teams, the Mets may have an advantage in trade talks. For instance, the Chicago Cubs decided to keep outfielder Cody Bellinger as they improved their performance and felt they could contend, and the Colorado Rockies traded Randal Grichuk to the Los Angeles Angels.
Considering these developments, Pham and Canha could become even more sought after by teams in need of outfield assistance. This increased demand might lead to a better return in a trade than the Mets initially anticipated just a few weeks ago.
