This bold Yankees-Mets trade could bridge the Juan Soto divide and benefit both sides

As the first Spring Training games draw near, the Yankees seem to be betting on an assortment of DJ LeMahieu, Oswald Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera to cover third base. At one point of time, each of these names held promise, but their glowing potentials have since deteriorated. In LeMahieu’s case, it seems his batting champion years have now faded into distant memories.

Is this to say LeMahieu can’t recover or neither Peraza nor Cabrera can perform admirably? No, but this isn’t a risk a postseason-bound team should take especially when betting on big-name one one-year rentals like Devin Williams. The Yankees have already learned one lesson with Juan Soto; it would tarnish the brand if they had to learn the same lesson twice.

The Yankees have scoured the MLB looking for infield help. GM Brian Cashman has made a long list of suitors and has seemingly checked every name off his list. The problem that has kept him from making a splash is Marcus Stroman’s contract. Without moving his money off the books, owner Hal Steinbrenner is unwilling to add more money to the payroll. Any infield option they explore needs to be cheap.

Meanwhile, across town, the Mets are in a similar pickle. Their desperate search for a starter has led them to inquire about two aces in Garrett Crochet and Dylan Cease, but both times, the price was way too high. However, with Alonso back, the Mets have little room for most of their upcoming young stars. Like Steinbrenner, Mets’ owner Steve Cohen isn’t looking to build upon the hefty payroll now that Soto is inked to a mammoth $765 million deal. But money may not be much of a problem if the two can come together.

The Mets have prospects to spare and the Yankees have plenty of rotation options. Perhaps the two New York teams could discuss a low-budget compromise that would present a win-win for both sides. What could this look like?

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Trading Clarke Schmidt for Luisangel Acuna

Heading to the Mets would be the Yankee righty, Clarke Schmidt. Schmidt came up in 2020, pitching only 12.2 innings through his first two years. His work as a hybrid starter/reliever in 2022 showed promise, but when moved to the rotation full-time in 2023, he struggled. This would change during a breakout 2024 season. Unfortunately, Schmidt was injured for half the year, but his results were great. In 85.1 innings of work, Schmidt pitched to a 2.85 ERA through 16 starts.

At $3.6 million, the 28-year-old starter won’t be very expensive this season. Schmidt will be under club control through 2027 offering the Mets a quality mid-rotation starter to pair with Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea. Trading Schmidt leaves Marcus Stroman, JT Brubaker, Chase Hampton, Will Warren, Zach Messinger and Allan Winans as starting options for the Yankees.

Headlining the package to the Yankees would be Mets no. 12 prospect Luisangel Acuna, brother of MVP superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. The younger Acuna has experience at shortstop, second base and in the outfield. It’s fair to say Acuna’s production at Triple-A left something to be desired, only hitting .258 with seven home runs last season. Acuna is known for his contact-hitting ability, not his power. If his hitting ability were to dimmish, Acuna might not be the young stud scouts thought he was. But Acuna has since dispelled these concerns.

Last season, he was called up to fill in for the injured Francisco Lindor. While his Triple-A stats were less than impressive, he dazzled at the Major League level. In just 39 at-bats, Acuna slashed .308/.325/.641/.966 with three home runs. Was it a fluke? Not likely. In the Venezuelan Winter League, Acuna hit .337 with three home runs. That isn’t all. Acuna is also a threat on the basepaths. Each of the past four minor-league seasons, he has stolen 40+ bases topping out at 57. He is yet to swipe his first Major League bag, but he made up for it by swiping 18 in the Venezuelan Winter League. While these recent stats look phenomenal, Acuna is only 22 (will be 23 this March). With a little more development, he could become a well-rounded superstar.

Headed to Bronx with Acuna would be right-handed pitcher Huascar Brazoban. Cashman is always interested in relievers with monster potential. This led him to acquire Mark Leiter Jr., Fernando Cruz and Michael Arias. Brazoban started the year pitching to an ERA of 2.93 for the Marlins before pitching to a 5.14 ERA for the Mets, giving him a 3.83 ERA on the year.

Despite his poor performance in Queens, Brazoban has some electric potential. Baseball Savant lists him in the very top percentile in avoiding hard contact and high exit velocities. In 51.2 innings, he only gave up two home runs. His pitch mix also garners plenty of whiffs and chase, but his strikeout rate is around average. His main problem is issuing walks which he did at a very high rate. Luckily, the Yankees have Matt Blake who specializes in fixing wayward pitchers.

Brazoban is 35 years old but made his debut in 2022 and is still in pre-arbitration. He is set for Arb-1 in 2026. Both he and Acuna would offer the Yankees plenty of team control.