Nothing has gone right for the New York Mets this season. But at least they won't be wrong about one of their decisions ahead of the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline.
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon report the last-place Mets aren't likely to trade right-hander Jonah Wong.
"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," Rosenthal and Sammon wrote Thursday.
Tong made three spring bullpen appearances for the Mets, going 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 10 innings of work.
Currently, Tong is with Triple-A Syracuse, where he is 1-5 with a 7.23 ERA in 14 starts. Yes, he has 74 strikeouts in 61 innings of work down on the farm this year. But he also has 36 walks and ugly 5.3 BB/9.
Despite those struggles, the 23-year-old Tong remains the Mets' No. 1 prospect and No. 80 overall, according to MLB Pipeline.
"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," Rosenthal and Sammon added.
What's to love about Tong? Consider this scouting report from MLB Pipeline, which projects the righty as a mid-rotation arm.
"His 64-degree arm angle is among the highest in baseball, but he also gets down the mound with above-average extension (6.8 feet), thus dropping his release point to below 6 feet. His fastball continues to be his bread and butter with elite ride (19.8 inches on average in MLB), and he added velocity, bringing it up from 91-94 in ’24 to 94-97 in ’25."