This Mets-Diamondbacks trade would give the Mets their next reclamation project

The Arizona Diamondbacks made a huge mistake when they signed left handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery to a contract worth around $50 million. At this point, even the front office members within the Diamondbacks organization have admitted that signing Montgomery was a mistake.

Trying to move on from him could be tough, unless the Diamondbacks find an organization that thinks they could turn Montgomery's career back around. There may not be a team in baseball that's better at turning pitchers' careers around than the New York Mets.

The Mets turned the careers of Luis Severino and Sean Manaea around this year. Both of these two pitchers had excellent seasons in comparison to what they had done over the last few years.

Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report recently listed a player from each team that they may look into trading this offseason. For the Diamondbacks, it was Jordan Montgomery.

"Rather than keeping the 31-year-old, the best thing for everyone would be a trade that would give him a fresh start elsewhere. The D-backs would presumably have to eat some of his 2025 salary to facilitate a deal, but likely not the entire sum," Rymer wrote.

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A Mets-Diamondbacks trade that sends Arizona's biggest mistake to the Big Apple

In order for the Diamondbacks to send Montgomery to the Mets, Arizona is going to need to eat a bit of his contract. For the sake of this deal, let's assume the Diamondbacks are eating exactly half of Montgomery's remaining contract.

This deal would send Montgomery and cash to the Mets in exchange for 15th ranked prospect Dom Hamel and 19th ranked prospect Nick Morabito.

Hamel, 25, is on the older side to be considered a prospect. He was excellent in his first two full professional seasons, posting a 3.25 ERA and a 3.85 ERA in those two years. But, last year, he posted an ERA well north of 6.00. He has a few excellent pitches, led by his slider. He seemed big league ready until last year, but a trade to the Diamondbacks could be exactly what he needs to turn his career back around.

Morabito, 21, was excellent in Low-A and High-A last season. Across 119 games, he slashed .312/.403/.398 with 17 doubles and 59 stolen bases. He's never been seen as an elite hitter, but with his OBP sitting over .400, it doesn't really matter how he gets on base. His speed is game breaking. He has the ability to change any given day if he just reaches base.

Montgomery, 31, put up a 6.23 ERA last year, good for the worst ERA that he's posted in a full season in his entire big league career. Before that, he put up a sub-4.00 ERA in three straight seasons, including an excellent half year with the Texas Rangers, where he helped lead the team to the 2023 World Series. Montgomery could be a change of scenery away from turning his career back around and the Mets would be the perfect place to do this.