The Mets checked on big relief stars Tanner Scott, Carlos Estevez, Pete Fairbanks, Kyle Finnegan and others but understandably didn’t want to mortgage the future while barely in wild-card position.
The Mets made sure to keep top prospects Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert, Ryan Clifford, Luisangel Acuna, Blake Tidwell, Brandon Sproat and others. The 100 mph Sproat is a late call-up candidate, especially if the bullpen remains an issue.
The Mets fielded significant interest in Brett Baty, but with his improved defense and .897 Triple-A OPS, they still like him.
With the Mets making clear early they didn’t intend to sell, other teams didn’t bother to inquire on Pete Alonso.
The Mets (and others) got off Garrett Crochet once his stance to request an extension to pitch in October was revealed in The Post. The White Sox went from thinking Crochet would be traded to having interest dry up. …
The Tigers also never seriously considered trading ace left-hander Tarik Skubal. Hard to fault them for that.
Teams did have the impression the Giants considered dealing two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, and the Yankees, Dodgers, Padres, Orioles, Cubs and Rangers checked in.
Sources say the Giants wanted a top-100 prospect and for the acquiring team to take responsibility for the contract, which included a $30 million 2025 player option.
That option is why the Yankees didn’t seriously pursue Snell. In their 110 percent luxury-tax bracket, that’s $63M, which was tough with the Yankees badly wanting to retain Juan Soto beyond the year.
On the North Side, Cody Bellinger’s $30M player option hindered his value — and their chances for a deal.
The White Sox understandably had a high price tag on star outfielder Luis Robert in the wrong season. The winter might be the time to trade him and Crochet.