A rough ending to a season can lead to some offseason shakeups.
That appears to be the case with the New York Mets, who are reportedly exploring trades of five different hitters.
ESPN's Jeff Passan reported this list on Tuesday: "The Mets are blowing up plenty. It's not just Luisangel Acuña or Mark Vientos or Brett Baty -- center fielder Brandon Nimmo (who has full no-trade protection) and utilityman Jeff McNeil can also be had."
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If the Mets end up trading at least a few of these guys, they could be looking at a very fresh ballclub in 2026.
They've also got the big-name duo of Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz now in free agency, neither a sure thing to return to Queens.
In reality, the Mets almost certainly have to keep at least some of these guys around. It's hard to pull off an offseason of three or four trades and also multiple notable free agency departures.
But all this noise coming out of the Mets' organization does suggest some discontent with how last season ended. New York was in the playoffs as a wild card team until a brutal collapse saw the Reds leapfrog them in the final weekend.
Whatever the Mets do this offseason, they don't want that to happen again.
If that means trading a handful of players and mixing things up in free agency, too, then that's what they'll do. The past is the past, and the best they can do is make things better for the present and future.
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