5 teams who should enter the Mookie Betts sweepstakes
4. New York Mets
The Mets fancy themselves as a contender, as foolish or far-fetched as it may seem competing with the Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. The win-now moves of last offseason yielded 86 wins and a third place finish in the division, so they could be headed toward a crossroads. But the 1-2 of Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom at the top of the starting rotation is virtually unrivaled, and will be fortified by a full season of Marcus Stroman as well as the signing of Rick Porcello.
The Mets were in on Starling Marte before he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, but according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network they were hesitant to part with two of their five best prospects to get him.
Pirates’ request of Mets in Marte talks was for 2 of their top 5 prospects. Mets thought: too steep for them
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 27, 2020
In order for the Mets to get Betts from the Red Sox, two of their top five prospects would be a starting point with other pieces (Steven Matz? Dominic Smith?) surely included. But whereas that kind of prospect haul was considered too much for Marte, Betts is a far better player and worth that price in a much more palatable way.
The idea of Betts as a one-year rental, beyond the cost in a trade, naturally limits his number of suitors. The Mets have a case to go all-in, whether that plan is a good one or not when we start to look back, and trading for Betts is the biggest move that’s even remotely out there.