With the Mets effectively out of playoff contention, their next move is to pivot to trade talks about Zack Wheeler, as SNY reported last week.

The team would also love to rid themselves of Jason Vargas because of his lack of contrition about a recent assault threat, and they will see how other clubs value Todd Frazier.

In all likelihood, that will represent the totality of their action in advance of the July 31 trade deadline -- but the Mets know they would be remiss to not at least survey the market for Noah Syndergaard and Edwin Diaz.

Ever since last winter, when the Mets were talking about Syndergaard with the Marlins, Yankees and Padres, it's been clear that they're willing to move on if the right deal presents itself. Unfortunately, rivals confirm the obvious: Syndergaard's 4.56 ERA and injured list stint have left the Mets with a diminished trade chip.

"Of course his value has gone down this year," said one rival GM. "He hasn't pitched well, he has less control [than in the winter], and he's been hurt."

The Mets know that it probably makes the most sense to gamble that Syndergaard will re-establish himself in the second half. It's neither common nor easy to make franchise-altering trades in-season involving players with several years of control.

The Mets can shop Syndergaard in earnest in November and December, when the top free agent starters will be Gerrit Cole and Wheeler, and the appetite for Syndergaard could be greater. The risk, of course, lies in the possibility that he does not improve, and is no longer seen as holding much value.

The same goes for Diaz. Given the depth of his recent struggles, trading him in-season probably won't work. The Mets would of course listen to any calls that come in, but know they would be better served to revisit their long-term plans for Diaz in the offseason.

Perhaps they will decide that he should be their closer for several years, and perhaps they will decide that he and Syndergaard can be flipped to fill other needs.

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