NEW YORK - Not long ago, just months earlier, hopes for a Subway World Series filled the five boroughs. The Yankees retained most of a squad that secured 94 victories in 2025 prior to an early October departure. The Mets dismantled their roster, aiming to recover from a surprising late-season fade that concluded on the last day. Both squads were viewed as World Series hopefuls.

So much for that.

The Mets crushed those hopes quickly by turning into one of the league's weakest teams despite holding the second-largest payroll, behind only the Dodgers. Consequently, the Mets roster will change substantially once more when the trade deadline hits Monday at 6 p.m. ET.

The Yankees remain in contention for their 28th championship, holding the top AL wild-card position. Last year, GM Brian Cashman added seven players in the days before the deadline, reshaping the bullpen and bench. This year, Cashman seeks quality additions to support an injury-plagued group missing All-Star outfielders Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger.

In brief, the New York teams pursue distinct goals at this deadline. Ideally, here are three objectives for each.

New York Yankees

1. Acquire Mason Miller

The Yankees - by ERA and Win Probability Added - have posted the top bullpen in the majors since June 1. Until giving up a two-run homer in his save Tuesday, closer David Bednar had not allowed a run in 20 outings dating back to May 22. So, why would the Yankees pay a steep price for another closer? Because nobody matches Mason Miller, who would deliver a shutdown relief group for the stretch and anchor the bullpen for the next three seasons at a low cost, with Bednar set for free agency this winter.

History shows Cashman likes to add players at the deadline who bring multiple years of control - recent examples include Bednar, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jose Caballero and Ryan McMahon - and Miller fits that profile. More importantly, Miller ranks as the top reliever in baseball. He throws 103 mph. He has 83 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings. He has surrendered one - yes, one - extra-base hit. His ERA sits at a slim 0.81. His FIP is even lower at 0.47. Adding him would drop the Yankees high-leverage relievers - Bednar, Brent Headrick, Fernando Cruz and Paul Blackburn - in the order as they aim to shorten games in October.

The cost would be high. The Yankees likely will not move top prospect George Lombard Jr. in any deal, but these front offices connected on the Juan Soto blockbuster in December 2023, and the Yankees can offer what the Padres want most: a solid major league starter with years of control (Will Warren or Ryan Weathers), plus prospects.

If Miller does not happen, Padres left-hander Adrian Morejon, an All-Star last season and a free agent this offseason, would serve as a solid backup option.

2. Acquire Ryan Jeffers (and re-sign him this winter)

Judge has missed every game since May 31 due to a rib stress fracture. In related news, the Yankees offense has ranked among the worst in baseball since June 1, sitting 26th in runs scored, 30th in batting average, 30th in on-base percentage and 27th in wRC+. The Yankees have also been without Giancarlo Stanton since April and lost Bellinger over the weekend for four to six weeks because of a hamstring strain. The offense needs a lift, and catcher is the spot that needs it most.

Yankees catchers have struggled badly - they rank 28th in batting average (.186), 27th in on-base percentage (.267), 29th in slugging percentage (.291) and tied for 28th in wRC+ (58) across baseball this season. The weak output comes from three players: Austin Wells, Ali Sanchez, and J.C. Escarra. Wells, a major letdown in his third full season, has stayed in the majors all year, while Sanchez was promoted from Triple-A in June to replace Escarra and give the Yankees a right-handed option. It has not helped. Now, it is time for an external upgrade.

Several options exist. They range from solid impending free agents - such as Tyler Stephenson of the Cincinnati Reds and Jonah Heim of the Athletics - to solid catchers with multiple years of control - such as the Mets Luis Torrens and Francisco Alvarez - to a pair of All-Star-level contributors who might fit well. One of them, Hunter Goodman, is a two-time All-Star with the Colorado Rockies under club control through 2029. Goodman has 31 home runs and an .877 OPS this season and offers a long-term fix but would cost more. The other, Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins, is a free agent this offseason and would require a lighter package. Jeffers recently returned from a broken hamate and is having a career year, batting .294 with a .928 OPS in 47 games.

The choice here is Jeffers, given that in this scenario the Yankees already would be giving up a large haul for Miller. With Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr. among their position players hitting free agency, the Yankees could re-sign Jeffers this winter. That is, of course, if the Twins are willing to trade him first. With the Twins in both the AL Central and wild-card races, that is far from certain.

Jeffers would provide a much-needed spark to a struggling lineup. And with so much uncertainty around three of their four best hitters, the Yankees could use some premium offensive insurance - not merely an upgrade at catcher.

3. Acquire Zach Neto or another impact hitter

The Yankees should not stop with Jeffers. They were already searching for a right-handed-hitting outfielder before Bellinger went on the injured list. His absence for at least the next month only heightens this need. While the Yankees expect Bellinger, Judge and Stanton to return this season, nothing is guaranteed, and the current outfield mix of Grisham, Jasson Dominguez, Max Schuemann and Spencer Jones is not championship caliber.

Many right-handed hitters are available, particularly outfielders. The possibilities in the outfield include Taylor Ward, Jo Adell, Heliot Ramos, Lane Thomas and Spencer Steer, who was placed on the IL on Monday and is expected to miss at least two weeks because of a wrist sprain. Ward is the best of the group, with a .384 on-base percentage this season, while Adell has real power and Ramos is a lefty masher with three years of control beyond this season. Any of them would help.

The Yankees could also broaden the search and target a left-side infielder regardless of handedness at the plate. The three leading candidates are shortstops: Neto (of the Los Angeles Angels), CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals, Jeremy Pena of the Houston Astros or Otto Lopez of the Miami Marlins. All of them are under team control for at least one year beyond this season, which means the cost of any of them will be high, if they are dealt at all.

Lombard is considered the Yankees shortstop of the future, but they could use an established upgrade for the remainder of 2026, then move the acquisition to second base in 2027 with Chisholm hitting free agency.

New York Mets

1. Unload Freddy Peralta, Luis Robert Jr. and other impending free agents

The Mets trade deadline wishlist starts with unloading all of their impending free agents as they shift focus to 2027 and beyond. The names include right-handed starters Peralta and Clay Holmes; left-handed relievers A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley; and outfielders Robert and Tyrone Taylor.

Finding a team to take Robert could require the Mets to pay down some of his remaining salary - he is making $20 million this season and is due $5.8 million after Aug. 3 - but the market lacks prominent right-handed hitters. Robert, despite his extensive injury history, could tempt a team into taking a chance for little prospect capital.

The others should be easier to move. Holmes, who had a 2.39 ERA in nine starts before breaking a fibula in mid-May, is one of the best starting pitchers on the market. The right-hander made his second rehab start Tuesday and could make his next start in the majors after he is traded. Peralta has been a disappointment, with a 4.99 ERA, but his track record and relatively low salary (he is owed $2.3 million after Aug. 3) make him attractive. Taylor, a glove-first outfielder beloved by teammates, has been on an offensive tear lately, with six home runs and a 1.094 OPS over his past 15 games. Contenders are always thirsty for bullpen help, and Raley (2.09 ERA) and Minter (2.45) have been effective.

2. Get a big return for relievers Luke Weaver and Huascar Brazoban

The Mets front office is walking a tightrope between moving on from 2026 and fielding a contending team in 2027. Right-handers Weaver and Brazoban, the team's two best relievers, would help the Mets next season, but they could also fetch them a haul on the trade market. Both are available ahead of Monday's deadline. Brazoban is 36, but he was a late bloomer - he was 32 when he debuted in 2022 - and is under team control through 2029. Weaver is in the first year of a two-year, $22 million contract.

Relievers can be fickle year to year, but the Mets unlocked something in Brazoban, and Weaver has established himself as a top-tier bullpen arm over the past three seasons. Brazoban has pitched to a 2.66 ERA in 44 appearances in a versatile role, and Weaver owns a 1.93 ERA in 40 games. In a recent stretch, Weaver did not allow an earned run in 28 1/3 innings across 25 appearances.

Relievers are never more valued than at the trade deadline; the Mets can capitalize on that for some long-term value.

3. Acquire Reid Detmers or another starter for 2027 (and beyond)

On Friday, president of baseball operations David Stearns noted that the starting rotation is an area we are going to have to look to supplement as we head to 27. One avenue for that is acquiring a starting pitcher under team control beyond this season. The problem: The price for good, controllable starting pitchers is steep.

The Angels have two notable potential options in left-hander Detmers and right-hander Jose Soriano. Other potential targets include Joe Ryan, though the Twins are unlikely to trade the right-hander, and Emerson Hancock and Luis Castillo of the Seattle Mariners. Maybe the Mets offer the Yankees one of their catchers - Alvarez or Torrens - as part of a package for Warren, Weathers, Elmer Rodriguez or Clarke Schmidt, who is slated to come off the IL next month after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

The Mets playoff hopes have vanished, but that does not mean they are not looking to acquire major league talent for 2027 and beyond.