5 teams who should trade for Pirates outfielder Starling Marte

DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 1: Starling Marte #6 of the Pittsburgh Pirates warms up in the on deck circle before batting against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of a game at Coors Field on September 1, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

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Mandatory Credit: Lizzy Barrett/MLB Photos via Getty Images /

2. New York Mets

The Mets had Juan Lagares in center field for 67 starts (125 games) last year, as he hit .213/.279/.326 over 285 plate appearances. Michael Conforto (33 starts) and Brandon Nimmo (38 starts) accounted for a big chunk of the rest of the innings in center field, but as a whole Mets manning the middle of the outfield hit just .229 as a group in 2019 (25th in the majors). Marte’s .295 average was second among qualified center fielders last year.

The Mets declined Lagares’ option for next year, and Conforto and Nimmo are better suited for the corner outfield spots. So as general manager Brodie Van Wagenen considers moves this offseason, adding a center fielder has to be on the agenda.

The Mets have a bottom-tier farm system, so they’d be challenged to offer the kind of prospects to get Pittsburgh’s attention in a deal for Marte without a separate trade that brought in a highly touted prospect or two. Offering some younger but more major league-level pieces (like Nimmo or Dominic Smith) may help create a suitable deal though.

With no inherent loyalty since he’s new on the job, Ben Cherington won’t send Marte to the Mets simply because he seems to want to go there. But the Mets do want him, and it can be assumed they are already trying to come up with an offer.

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