David Wright Trade Rumors Another Sign Mets Fire Sale May Be Imminent

Are Mets fan going to be responsible for a self-fulfilling prophecy? As ESPN.com's Adam Rubin points out, "The chatter on the airwaves about considering dealing [David] Wright has intensified, since he would yield more than any other player on the roster. It is a far more extreme suggestion than considering the trade of Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, or Francisco Rodriguez because those players are in the final years of their contracts."

Considering the dearth of statements from Sandy Alderson and others in the Mets front office - something like "David is our franchise player, we're not going to let him go. We're going to hold on to him like Lady Gaga holds on to Perez Hilton" -- you have to think that trading Mr. Wright will be just the warning shot that a fire sale is imminent.

Does Wright sense this, or is he just picking up vibes that it's inevitable? Last Thursday, in a rare moment of wry wit, he noted that playing in the Rays stadium instead of Citi Field, "I might get a few more home runs." The suggestion being that a trade of Wright for Evan Longoria might be in the works - which would save the Mets' a wallet-full of cash as Longoria's contract through 2013 calls for him to get $2 million, $4.5 million and $6 million while Wright's contract calls for $15 million next season with the Mets holding an option for $16 million after that. (Though why the cheapskate Rays would deal for a player they'd have to pay so much for hasn't been explained.)

Of course, there are a lot of places where Wright might get a few more home runs and where they could afford him, like Coors Field, Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park or -- the horror, the horror - Citizens' Bank Park.

Over at Bleacher Report, Christopher Howland writes that "the possibilities of a mid-season fire sale are quickly becoming a reality ... " and that "the worst thing that could happen to the 2011 Mets is that they continue to play bottom of the barrel baseball, and when the July trade deadline comes around, GM Sandy Alderson plays no favorites and puts a majority of the team on the trading block."

Just two short weeks ago all of this seemed a bit absurd. Now, with each passing day - and even after winning four straight - it looks like the dismantling is going to happen.And judging from the reaction on the talk shows, Mets fans are already resigned to it.