The New York Mets are going to be sellers at the 2026 trade deadline, but one of their most valuable assets is reportedly unavailable.
Jonah Tong, a top prospect and right-hander who made his major-league debut in 2025, will not be on the block leading up to Aug. 3, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic.
The Mets are, of course, floundering in last place in the National League East. They have the NL’s third-worst record (39-54) and trail the first-place Atlanta Braves by 15 games.
Jonah Tong is Off Limits for Mets Trades
Tong joined Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat in the majors last August, the latter of whom was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers for Freddy Peralta during the offseason.
But unlike McLean, who is 6-5 with a 3.73 ERA and has been the Mets ace, Tong has struggled at both Triple-A and in New York this year. But he has superb stuff and could fetch a huge haul as a controllable 23-year-old with immense promise.
Yet, Tong started the year as a top-50 prospect per Baseball America and MLB Pipeline but fell to No. 68 on Baseball America’s recently released list and has cratered to No. 80 on Pipeline’s most recent list — though he remains the Mets’ top prospect.
So aside from his shortcomings, another club would reportedly have to value Tong as much as the Mets do for them to part with him. That seems exceedingly unlikely.
“According to people familiar with the Mets’ thinking who were granted anonymity in exchange for candor, to even merit consideration, another team would have to value Tong as a top-50 prospect and offer players New York loves,” Sammon wrote.
“The Mets counted on Tong to provide depth for their rotation and he failed to do that in the first half. In Triple A, he holds a 5.90 ERA with 74 strikeouts and 36 walks in 61 innings.”
The Mets Rightly Hold Jonah Tong in Extremely High Regard
Tong, who had a 7.71 ERA in five starts during his cup of coffee with the Mets last season, is 1-5 in 14 starts with Syracuse this season. Despite his 1-1 record in the majors this year, and manageable 3.60 ERA in 10 innings, Tong has a minus-0.1 bWAR.
Despite a subpar season in Triple A, the Mets are still holding starter Jonah Tong in high regard,” Sammon wrote. “While executives from different teams suggested the Mets would attract suitors if they put Tong on the market, New York likes him too much to do so, which makes any trade seemingly unlikely.”
Tong is likely to get a bigger chance to contribute in Queens after Peralta is inevitably traded — or if the Mets decide to trade veteran righty Clay Holmes, who has one more season on his deal.
Tong seems to be a part of the Mets’ solution, at least as long as David Stearns is still employed as president of baseball operations.
Plus, trading 23-year-old starters rarely works out well — especially for the Mets, who of course gave up on eventual Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan when they traded him to the Angels in 1971.
Mets Likely to Hang Onto Highly Thought-of Pitching Prospect