Mets' Fire Sale Begins As Club Trades Away Southpaw Reliever

The New York Mets are in the middle of one of the most disappointing seasons in the franchise's history,

The Mets sit at the bottom of the National League East with an embarrassing record of 47-63 entering Thursday.

After going all-in this past winter on free agents and making what seemed like necessary trades to compete, New York has more than fallen short of the expectations set ahead of the 2026 season.

Now, the Mets will be forced to sell ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline, and the first needle has dropped.

"Trade news: The Minnesota Twins are acquiring left-handed reliever A.J. Minter from the New York Mets," ESPN's Jeff Passan reported late Thursday night.

"The Mets’ selling starts with one of the top relievers on the market. There will be many more Mets deals to come before Aug. 3."

Minter has a 2.35 ERA with a 20-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .236 batting average against and a 1.00 WHIP in 23 innings pitched across 23 games this season.

The southpaw has been one of the few bright spots on the Mets' roster this season and will now continue his 2026 campaign trying to aid the Twins in their postseason push.

The Athletic's Will Sammon reported that in return, the Mets are receiving two prospects. Shortstop Bruin Agbayani and third baseman Billy Amick.

Agbayani is hitting .268 with three extra-base hits, 0 home runs, six RBIs and a .753 OPS for the Single-A Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.

Amick is hitting .217 with 37 extra-base hits including 23 home runs, 72 RBIs and a .820 OPS for the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge.

For the Mets, this ignites a fire sale that the public has known about for weeks, and the Twins finally add a talented reliever to their bullpen -- a much-needed addition for a team with postseason aspirations.

It's no secret that New York is ready to ship out most of its roster ahead of Monday's trade deadline, and this first move will be the first of many.

With just a few players believed to be off-limits in trade talks, the Mets are in a full-blown seller's mindset.

As for Agbayani and Amick, the two are likely still years away from reaching the majors. Minter, however, has a chance to be the spark that the Twins' bullpen desperately needed.

We will likely be seeing many more moves from the Mets in the coming days, with an overhaul of prospects on the way into New York.

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →