The Mets will have to wait until the winter to engage the Rockies in serious discussions for either of their star hitters.
If the Mets are serious about prying Troy Tulowitzki or Carlos Gonzalez away from the Rockies, they'll have at least another few months to assemble a worthy offer.
The hot stove has heated up with whispers about the Mets' interest in both sluggers ever since the New York Post's Joel Sherman broke the story open. It appears, however, that he teased fans with visions of an upgraded offense too soon. According to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, both sides will likely press pause on trade negotiations until the offseason.
The Rockies and Mets haven't gotten off the ground on talk about Colorado superstars Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez, so any chance to do a deal will likely have to wait for the winter.
"Unless we do speed dating, I think that's safe to say [that any deal will wait until winter]," one person involved in the limited talks said.
This scoop shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Five games under .500 before Wednesday afternoon's bout against the Phillies, New York has little reason to force the issue, especially with Tulowitzki on the disabled list.
Heyman, however, concludes the article with a more telling tidbit. Although Gonzalez has become the forgotten man with fans harboring grand visions of the Mets landing baseball's premier shortstop, he's the more realistic target.
Ultimately, the Mets don't see themselves as likely to land Tulowitzki -- "he wants to be a Yankee" one Mets person said, stating what has becoming obvious -- so Gonzalez will presumably be the main focus of talks once they hook up.
Following a sensational 2013 campaign, the 28-year-old outfielder is hitting a robust .242/.294/.432 with a minus-0.1 fWAR, per FanGraphs. He's logged more than 135 games in a season just once and sports a career .755 OPS away from Coors Field.
Yet all those blemishes will make him a much cheaper alternative to Tulowitzki, who is by far the best talent at a scarce position when healthy. Sandy Alderson will also appreciate Gonzalez's shorter contract, which expires after 2017.
When the deadline passes without any blockbuster trades, don't assume the opportunity has passed to strike a deal with Colorado. Once winter comes, this saga will pick up right where it left off.