The New York Mets are sellers at the trade deadline. That much has been clear for weeks. They already sent David Peterson packing. Other arms are expected to follow him out the door. But there’s one pitcher the front office apparently refuses to move, even as his numbers scream “sell low.”
Jonah Tong is not having a good year. In 14 Triple-A starts, his ERA sits at 5.90. He’s made eight big league appearances this season, mostly out of the bullpen, and posted a 6.28 ERA across 28.2 innings. Those are not the kind of numbers that usually make a guy untouchable at the deadline.
Yet according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon, the Mets still view Tong as a legitimate building block. Multiple executives around the league told them the Mets could field calls if they put Tong on the market. But New York likes him too much to make that happen.
Here’s the thing. Going into this season, Keith Law ranked Tong as the No. 72 prospect overall. Three other outlets had him in the top 50. The Mets’ internal valuation seems to match that higher end. According to people familiar with the team’s thinking—who were granted anonymity to speak freely—any team that wants Tong would need to value him as a top-50 prospect and offer players New York genuinely wants. That’s a high bar for a guy with a 6.28 ERA in the majors.
Juan Soto’s Contract Looms Over Every Decision
The Mets can’t afford a full teardown right now. Juan Soto is entering his prime and the team needs to be competitive during those years. Moving Tong, who could slot into the rotation as early as next season, would signal a complete rebuild. That’s not happening, according to the reporting.
It’s also worth asking: who’s going to overpay for Tong right now? The numbers don’t lie. Any team looking at his recent stats would try to buy low, not meet the Mets’ asking price. So realistically, keeping him is the only move that makes sense. You don’t trade a 23-year-old with this kind of prospect pedigree when his value is at its lowest.
The Bigger Picture for the Rotation
The Mets should be building their next rotation around Nolan McLean, who has been excellent this year. If the front office sees Tong as a piece that fits behind him, there’s no reason to force a trade now. Let the kid figure it out in Triple-A. Let him build back some of that prospect shine. Maybe by next July, he’s the kind of chip that actually returns something meaningful.
Or maybe he just ends up being part of the solution. That’s clearly what the Mets are betting on.
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