The Mets didn’t trade many pieces at the deadline, but that doesn’t mean they’re done selling

Outside of Lucas Duda and Addison Reed, the Mets barely shipped any players out of town during the days and hours leading up to the trade deadline. In fact, they ended up trading for Marlins pitcher A.J. Ramos to help their bullpen over the next season-plus.

Curtis Granderson, Jay Bruce, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Seth Lugo were all rumored to be on the trade block at one point or another in the past few weeks, dictating a Mets fire sale similar to those fans have experienced in previous years.

That didn’t come to fruition as many expected though, with Reed and Duda being the only major pieces traded despite the Mets being far out of contention for this year’s postseason.

However, that doesn’t mean they are standing pat for the rest of the season. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports that although the market just wasn’t there to trade Granderson or Bruce before the deadline, August trades are possible for both or either of them.

SNY’s Adam Rubin confirms that Sandy Alderson is fine trading players next month should they clear waivers and that it makes sense to do so based on the need for suitable playing time for the outfield.

For now, Bruce could continue to play in right field since the Mets seemingly are sticking with Michael Conforto in center. The team could extend a qualifying offer in the offseason if a trade doesn’t happen before then, which Newsday’s Marc Carig says Bruce probably would not take, therefore granting the Mets some compensation when he leaves town.

The team is also calling up top prospect Amed Rosario from Triple-A to start at shortstop for Tuesday’s game against the Rockies to begin giving him playing time in the majors, bumping Asdrubal Cabrera to third and shifting the rest of the infield around Rosario’s inclusion (with Neil Walker at both second and first base, and Jose Reyes at second).

Considering those moves, as well as Alderson’s assurance that first base prospect Dominic Smith “shouldn’t be far behind,” and the Mets’ infield and outfield are starting to look very crowded, with lots of pieces that could be moved before August is out.

Other teams’ needs could morph into something the Mets can help with based on unexpected injuries, allowing them to deal in a market that didn’t exist for them in July.

Whether Bruce, Granderson, Cabrera, or others are still Mets come September remains to be seen, but just because a major sell off didn’t happen yet doesn’t mean the Mets are completely settling on their current lineup for the rest of this season.