Yankees Target Miller, Jeffers; Mets Sell at Deadline
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- Yankees hold the top AL wild-card spot but are shopping with an injury-riddled roster — Aaron Judge (rib stress fracture, out since May 31), Cody Bellinger (4-6 weeks, hamstring) and Giancarlo Stanton (out since April) — and their offense has ranked 26th in runs scored since June 1.
- Mason Miller tops the Yankees' wish list after striking out 83 batters in 44⅔ innings with a 0.81 ERA, 0.47 FIP and 103 mph fastball; the Padres closer would likely cost a controllable MLB starter like Will Warren or Ryan Weathers plus prospects, with the Yankees expected to protect top prospect George Lombard Jr.
- Ryan Jeffers (Twins, .294 BA, .928 OPS in 47 games) is the Yankees' ideal catcher target to address a position batting just .186 (28th in MLB), with the hope of re-signing the impending free agent this winter alongside other free-agent-to-be Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr.
- The Yankees should also pursue an impact bat such as Zach Neto (Angels shortstop), Taylor Ward, Jo Adell or Heliot Ramos to bolster an outfield mix of Grisham, Jasson Dominguez, Max Schuemann and Spencer Jones.
- Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns is overhauling the second-highest payroll in baseball after a stunning collapse, looking to unload impending free agents including Freddy Peralta, Luis Robert Jr. ($20 million salary), Clay Holmes, A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley and Tyrone Taylor.
- Luke Weaver (1.93 ERA in 40 games, two-year/$22 million contract) and Huascar Brazobán (2.66 ERA in 44 appearances, under control through 2029) are the Mets' most valuable trade chips, with Stearns weighing whether to capitalize on the deadline reliever market or retain them for a 2027 run.
- Stearns acknowledged the starting rotation is 'an area we're going to have to look to supplement,' making Reid Detmers or another controllable starter a likely target as the Mets plan beyond 2026.
Why it matters: The Monday 6 p.m. deadline crystallizes a stark divergence in New York's two franchises: the Yankees are spending prospect capital on a 28th-championship push while missing three of their best hitters, while the Mets — owners of baseball's second-highest payroll — are explicitly selling veterans like Peralta ($2.3 million owed) and Robert ($20 million) to reset for 2027. With Miller under team control through 2028 and the Mets' Weaver-Brazobán duo on the market, Monday's moves will reshape both teams' competitive windows through 2029.
