A former GM thinks the Yankees and Mets could trade at the deadline

Jul 21, 2025 7:32 AM EDT

It’s the kind of scenario that lights up sports radio and burns through comment sections—mostly because it never happens. But according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Yankees and Mets might actually line up on a deadline deal this month.

The proposal? Something along the lines of Mark Vientos for Jasson Domínguez, or Brett Baty for Trent Grisham. It’s a contender-to-contender trade in a thin seller’s market. And while it sounds like fantasy baseball, there’s some logic under the chaos.

The Mets need outfield help. The Yankees want to upgrade third base. And both teams are hovering in must-win territory—with different motivations. For the Mets, it’s about salvaging 2025. For the Yankees, it’s about October.

Of course, there are problems. Big ones.

Domínguez has franchise-star potential. The Yankees have been cautious with his rehab and future. Trading him across town? That’s a PR risk even if Vientos rakes. And on the Mets’ side, it’s hard to see David Stearns giving up on Baty or Vientos, both young, controllable bats, for a part-time piece like Grisham or a rental in Bellinger.

Then there’s history. The Yankees and Mets have made just 16 trades in over 60 years. Most were fringe relievers, minor leaguers, or cash deals. The last notable moves were in 2024, when the Mets got Luis Torrens for cash considerations, or when the Yankees sent Joely Rodríguez to the Mets for Miguel Castro in 2022. Before that? A lot of trivia question material.

But Brian Cashman has a long history of working the edges of the market. If the Mets decide they’re more future-focused than present-tense, and if the Yankees get aggressive, maybe there’s a fit.

It would take nerve. It would take PR finesse. And it would take two GMs willing to ignore decades of noise.

Unlikely? Sure. But this deadline is weird. And desperate teams do weird things.