The New York Mets figure to be busy at the trade deadline, with two deals already completed and more involving Freddy Peralta , Luke Weaver and/or Luis Robert Jr ( among others ) very possible prior to Monday's deadline. The mass exodus will add a fresh infusion of talent to the Mets' farm system and create new opportunities for young players at the big league level.
The last big deadline sale the Mets had came in 2023 , which was a unique circumstance since the Mets didn't give widespread opportunities to young players after the deadline. Stop gap veterans like Rafael Ortega and Jonathan Araz got a lot of playing time, which frustrated fans who were eager to see some of the team's prospects get big league exposure down the stretch.
That shouldn't be the case in 2026 as David Stearns has made a point of finding lanes for young players to get big league opportunities since he took over prior to the 2024 season. While there won't be a Syracuse Mets parade to the majors on Aug. 4, these three players figure to get extended looks at the major league level in the coming weeks.
The Mets gave Morabito a cup of coffee at the big league level earlier this season and he looked a bit overmatched, going hitless in 11 at-bats and striking out 9 times. Morabito has played regularly at AAA Syracuse since then and has performed well, batting .263 with 10 home runs, 38 RBI, 33 stolen bases and a .771 OPS in 335 at-bats.
If the Mets trade at least one of Robert or Tyrone Taylor prior to the deadline they will need an extra outfielder. Morabito figures to get a call here and should get a look against left-handed pitching, which could be helpful since both A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge are left-handed.
Veteran Mike Tauchman , who is currently on a rehab assignment after suffering a knee injury in spring training, could also be an option if both Robert and Taylor get moved. The Mets do need to take a look at Morabito though to see if he can fill Taylor's role as a fourth outfielder internally before Stearns adds one to his offseason priority list.
A.J. Minter is gone and Brooks Raley is likely headed out the door soon too, meaning the Mets will have a major need for lefties in their bullpen. One minor leaguer worth watching here is Lavender, who has looked sharp after coming back from Tommy John surgery.
Lavender was once a very intriguing prospect for the Mets before taking a detour to Tampa Bay, which is where he got hurt. The Mets picked Lavender back up this spring and have seen him thrive, going 2-3 with a 3.64 ERA in 33 appearances, striking out a whopping 68 batters in 42 innings pitched.
Lefties haven't hit well against Lavender, batting just .204 against him with 27 strikeouts in 14.2 innings pitched, so the Mets would be well advised to see how Lavender can do against big league pitching. Figuring out if Lavender can be a lefty option for the 2027 bullpen would be rather useful since that unit could be cleaned out prior to the deadline.
While Jack Wenninger could also get looks at the big league level at some point, the most prudent course of action for the Mets would be to give Tong an extended run as a major league starter . Tong has been inconsistent for AAA Syracuse, going 3-5 with a 5.24 ERA in 18 starts, but he has rebounded after a disastrous June with a string of solid July starts.
Assuming the Mets move on from Peralta and Clay Holmes there will be at least one open rotation spot for them the rest of the way. Kodai Senga showed flashes of brilliance in a spot start for Peralta on Friday, but the Mets already have a good idea of what Senga can do after years of big league opportunities.
Tong has gotten a limited window after his debut in September of 2025, making only three big league appearances during the 2026 season. The Mets have asked Tong to make a few tweaks to improve his chances of success against big league hitters and the best chance to see if they are working is to add him to the rotation for the final two months of the campaign.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/mets/onsi as 3 Mets Prospects Who Could Join the Majors After the Trade Deadline .
