Mets Are Only 9 Games Back. Are They Really Thinking Buy, Not Sell?

Let’s be honest. The New York Mets have been a mess this season. They’re 34-46. They’re in last place in the NL East. They just traded a starting pitcher. That usually means one thing at the deadline: sell everything that isn’t nailed down.

But according to MLB insider Mark Feinsand, that’s not what the front office is thinking right now. In a recent Reddit AMA, Feinsand dropped a take that surprised a lot of people. He said the Mets might not sell at all. Not even a little.

“I’m not so sure the Mets are even going to be sellers, let alone ready for a fire sale,” Feinsand wrote. “As bad as the season has gone for them, they’re only seven games out of a playoff spot (entering their doubleheader Wednesday), and I think Steve Cohen and David Stearns are going to give their high-priced roster every opportunity to get hot and challenge for one of those Wild Card spots.”

The math is getting worse, not better

That conversation happened before the Mets dropped further in the standings. They’re now nine games back of the final Wild Card spot. That’s not impossible to overcome, but it’s getting close. The clock is ticking, and the All-Star Break is almost here.

So why would a team this bad think about holding onto veterans and maybe even buying? Injuries. The Mets have been wrecked by them. Key guys have missed significant time. The argument coming from inside the organization is basically: this isn’t the real Mets. Once everybody gets healthy, this team could go on a run.

That’s a nice thought. But it’s a gamble. The same high-priced roster that was supposed to contend for a division title has been consistently mediocre for months. Saying “we’ll get healthy” doesn’t change the fact that they’re 12 games under .500.

The other side of this is Steve Cohen. He’s a billionaire owner who doesn’t like losing. A fire sale means admitting the season is over before August. That’s a tough pill to swallow when you’re paying the biggest payroll in baseball. David Stearns, the new president of baseball operations, also has to consider the message it sends to the clubhouse and the fan base.

But nine games is nine games. And the Wild Card race is crowded. The Mets aren’t just chasing one team. They’re chasing a handful of them. Every loss makes the math harder and the argument for selling louder.

For now, the Mets are stuck between two bad options. Sell and punt on a season that started with World Series expectations. Or hold and risk falling even further behind while hanging onto trade chips that could bring back real prospects. Feinsand’s report suggests they’re leaning toward option B. But the standings are having their own say.