A firesale might be on the horizon for the New York Mets as their 2026 season continues to free fall. New York sits at 22-33 through their first 55 games, and a playoff push feels all but dead as they are unable to score runs, and now can't stop opposing teams from scoring. On their current trajectory, the Mets are going to be one of the first teams to declare their intentions to shed salary and payroll in exchange for young pieces. Injuries have derailed the Mets' season so far, and a lack of production from some key pieces has only added insult to injury, pun fully intended. There's hope that the likes of Bo Bichette can turn things around, or that Brett Baty and Mark Vientos can see their numbers start to climb, but the Mets' best hope is that they get healthy - something they have no control over. Time is running out, and the Mets are seemingly going to lose this battle against the clock. This means the Mets will soon be in subtraction mode, and it gives them a chance to really focus on figuring out who their core group of players is. A few arms and bats stand out immediately, along with others who are slowly growing into much bigger roles with the team. One of the few bright sides to this Mets season so far has been the emergence of a few younger players turning into legitimate Major Leaguers. The Mets should focus on this group of players as their core heading into 2027 and prioritize their development over all else.The Mets must focus on building around this select group of playersHitters - Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing, Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, Bo BichetteThe Mets have two tiers to their offensive core -- veterans with major salaries and young top-100 prospects in their rookie seasons. Soto, Lindor, and Bichette figured to be the Mets' big three this year, but only Soto has met expectations, as Lindor has been sidelined and Bichette has struggled. Still, all three are set to make over $30 million next year, and Bichette appears to be a lock to opt in to his contract for 2027. As for the rookies, Ewing and Benge have produced solidly in May with OPS marks over .700, while hitting in the top half of the lineup with consistency. They could be joined this season by lefty slugger Ryan Clifford, who profiles as a first baseman and corner outfielder, and by Jacob Reimer, a righty bat with tons of patience and power who plays in the middle infield. If both are called up, the Mets would be able to focus more on their lineup depth than on finding core pieces for next year. If he can remain healthy, consider catcher Francisco Álvarez a part of this group, but injuries have severely limited him so far in his career. Pitchers - Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, Christian Scott, Dylan Ross, Devin WilliamsThe Mets have a trio of young starting pitchers they could build around with Tong, McLean, and Scott, who hold the potential of a front-line starting rotation, while Ross and Williams could be a formidable shutdown duo in the back of their bullpen.In the rotation, the Mets also have the likes of Jack Wenninger, Will Watson, Jonathan Santucci, and Zach Thornton, who profile as back-end starters, and you can't sleep on the prospect of the team re-signing ace Freddy Peralta to a new deal. The bullpen has been a strength for the Mets this year, but the majority of their group is older. Williams has been dominant of late (aside from his outing in Miami) and figures to be a piece of the Mets' 2027 puzzle as he has two more seasons left on his contract.Jonathan Pintaro turned in 3.2 scoreless innings during his brief stint back with the team. Austin Warren has been incredibly impressive this season and has several seasons of club control left, and prospect Ryan Lambert might have the most electric stuff in the entire system. The Mets have internal options to replace what might be several pieces traded away at the deadline, and a few could prove to be major pieces for the Mets in 2027. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow