The Mets are open to listening if teams come calling on Edwin Diaz before the trade deadline, as SNY's Andy Martino reported on July 2. And with that mindset, the Mets have been seeking a ton in return, reports ESPN's Jeff Passan.

According to Passan, the Mets are asking for "more than they gave up for him."

In the deal that brought Diaz to the Mets along with Robinson Cano, they sent prospects Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn to Seattle in order to pry Diaz away in what was part of a much larger package.

The Mets getting a package viewed as better than Kelenic (now seen as one of the Top 30 or so prospects in baseball) and Dunn (widely viewed as a Top 100 prospect in baseball) right now is highly unlikely, which is one of the reasons why the far likelier time for a Diaz trade would be the offseason.

"I'm happy to be here," Diaz said Wednesday about the rumors, explaining that he understands baseball is a business.

"Nothing breaks my focus," he added. "When I'm on the mound, I'm only focused on pitching."

The 25-year-old Diaz, whose slider has abandoned him at times this season, has struggled -- but not to the extent that most have suggested.

While Diaz has an unsightly 4.81 ERA, his 3.51 FIP and 3.15 xFIP suggests that he has also dealt with a good deal of bad luck. Meanwhile, his strikeout rate -- while not as otherworldly as it was in 2018 -- is still a tremendous 13.96 per 9.

As far as Diaz' stuff, his fastball and slider velocities (averaging 97.3 MPH and 89.3 MPH, respectively) are identical to what they were during his 2018 season. That suggests that if Diaz can fix whatever is causing his slider to be ineffective at times (whether it's due to the new ball, a mechanical issue, or something else) that there's a good chance he'll return to dominance.

Taking all of the above into account, it's easy to see why the Mets trading Diaz right now at a relatively low point is unlikely. And if they're trying to contend in 2020 -- which Brodie Van Wagenen has stated -- trading him at all would be an odd way to try to go about it.

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