New York Mets corner infielder Mark Vientos is in the midst of a disappointing season, one in which he's failed to build on last year's momentum. Predictably, Vientos has found himself the subject of recent trade rumors leading up to the July 31 deadline -- a dynamic he opted to talk about with reporters on Monday.

The New York Mets wasted little time making their first trade deadline move, acquiring Gregory Soto in a deal with the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. Returns thus

To set the stage for the sprint to the deadline, here's a primer based on what I'm hearing from front office executives across the league.

Just hearing things around the league and especially my Mets counterpart Will Sammon is really clued in,” Baggarly said. “He’s a really hard worker. One of our most plugged in beat writers I think in terms of what teams are thinking around the league.

The New York Mets have been linked to some trade rumors recently, some even indicating they could cut ties with young star Mark Vientos.

Major League Baseball's trade deadline is scheduled for next Thursday (July 31), meaning that teams have less than a week to get their midsummer shopping done. The Mariners made the first notable transaction of the mad season on Thursday night,

Vientos has been in this position before. He lost the third base battle ahead of the 2024 season and made the most out of multiple big league opportunities before finally getting his shot. Once he replaced Baty as the everyday third baseman at the end of May 2024, he quickly became the Mets’ best power hitter.

This time of year, nearly all Major League Baseball discourse revolves around the Trade Deadline. For contenders like the Mets, most of that discussion is about the areas they can improve.