Does Mets first-round pick hint at potential Juan Soto trade package?

The New York Mets drafted an incredible hitter with their first-round pick in the MLB Draft. Is this a sign of a potential trade coming?

The oldest line in the book when it comes to the MLB Draft is ‘take the best available player, not just from a position of need’. While that line is mostly always true, sometimes the best available player doesn’t have a fit in the organization drafting him.

When the New York Mets were up in tonight’s MLB Draft with the 11th pick in the first-round, very few in the industry expected them to take Kevin Parada — a catcher.

With uber-prospect Francisco Álvarez already in the organization, this pick feels a little strange. While Parada is one of (if not the) best hitters available in this year’s draft class, the presence of Álvarez makes this pick a head-scratcher.

This pick leads to the question, is someone headed for a position change or, even more intriguing, is Álvarez now a potential trade piece in a potential Juan Soto trade?

Mets: Álvarez is trade bait for Juan Soto?

With the recent news coming out that the Washington Nationals are considering making Juan Soto available in a trade after he rejected a 15-year, $440MM contract extension, the Mets have emerged as a potential landing spot for him.

Before the drafting of Parada in this year’s MLB Draft, Álvarez’s name had already been thrown into the rumor-mill by many, including FanSided’s own Tim Boyle, who believes it will take Álvarez, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and several other high-end prospects to land Soto.

Parada is an incredibly talented offensive force behind the plate and while some scouts originally suggested his defense would bring down his value, he has reportedly made massive strides on defense and is looking like a much more complete player, which is undoubtedly why the Mets chose to strike when he was still available with the No. 11 pick.