5 Mets who could be dealt before the Aug. 3 trade deadline

There’s a week left until baseball's Aug. 3 trade deadline and there’s little doubt that the Mets clubhouse will be looking very different very soon.

Thanks to their woeful record, and an expanded playoff format that means more teams have a shot at the playoffs, the Mets are one of a handful of assured sellers at the deadline — and if president of baseball operations David Stearns handles his assets correctly, it means that for one of the rare times this season, they have a shot to be on the winning side of things.

Here are five players who could be dealt at the deadline, along with the returns they might net.

Freddy Peralta

Peralta may have done the Mets no favors with his performance this season, but there’s always value in an experienced starter who’s shown so much promise in the past, and can take the ball every fifth day. “Fixing” Peralta, who says he physically feels fine, is a tantalizing prospect. If the Tigers do decide to trade Tarik Skubal, the asking price will be astronomical, meaning Peralta may be as good as many teams looking for rotational help can get.

On an expiring contract, the Mets will probably be happy if Peralta can get them a top 100 prospect — it’s something, but a far cry from the two top 100 prospects the Mets dealt to get him to Flushing in the first place, even if Jett Williams has struggled this year (the other piece of the trade, Brandon Sproat, has shown promise with the Brewers after a rocky start to his season).

Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter

The two get lumped together for a reason: experienced, consistent lefties on expiring contracts.

Raley has been one of the Mets’ best relievers since returning from Tommy John surgery last year, and went into Monday’s contest against Atlanta carrying a 2.09 ERA in 38 2/3 innings. Similarly, Minter, who missed most of last year, has a 2.45 ERA and significant playoff experience.

Teams are always looking for bullpen help at the deadline, and a high-leverage middle reliever can net you a nice prospect or two.

Though the market changes yearly, if we want to get a sense of what either may command, we can look at what comparable lefties went for last year — in this case, Gregory Soto, Caleb Ferguson and Steven Matz. All three were able to return an organizational top 20 prospect.

Soto, who went to the Mets, netted two minor-league relievers, the first of which was the team’s 19th-ranked prospect. Ferguson cost the Mariners their No. 15 prospect Jeter Martinez, whom Baseball America said projects to be a mid-rotation starter. The Cardinals netted minor-league infielder Blaze Jordan for Matz, with Jordan making his MLB debut this year.

Clay Holmes

Though Holmes has been nursing a broken leg and has a player option for next year, his track record gives him plenty of leeway to decline the $12 million payday and look for something better this coming offseason. Though the Mets could extend him, Holmes said recently that the team hasn’t broached the subject — meaning he could be on his way out.

Before getting hurt, Holmes was the team’s best starter, with a 2.39 ERA over nine starts. Despite last pitching on May 15, he’s second among Mets starters in fWAR, has grown into his role since emerging from the bullpen, and is very close to a return. The Guardians traded Shane Bieber under similar circumstances last deadline — he missed the first half recovering from Tommy John surgery — and got the Blue Jays’ No. 5 prospect in return.

The Mets, though, could opt not to trade him or extend him, instead extending a qualifying offer that he could then reject, netting the club a compensatory draft pick in return.

Tyrone Taylor

Taylor is on an expiring contract and has been scorching hot since his return from the injured list, slashing .410/.477/.974 with six home runs in 19 games. He’s among the fastest players in baseball, can play all three outfield positions, and has the elite arm strength that makes him an ideal late-game defensive substitution for any contending ballclub. The return for Taylor will be modest — maybe just an organizational depth piece — but since he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent, the Mets could always just sign him again in the offseason.

Other players who may be dealt: Luke Weaver, Luis Robert Jr., Sean Manaea, Luis Torrens, Huascar Brazoban.

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.