The New York Mets aren’t giving up in their efforts to acquire Starling Marte. The star center fielder of the Pittsburgh Pirates has been a target ever since the offseason started. However, the two teams weren’t able to swing a deal in 2019.
Now, according to Jon Heyman, the talks between the two teams are intensifying once again. It seems like this saga has been on and off since the 2019 season ended.
The Mets want to upgrade in center field and see Marte, 31, as a fit. He is a well-above average offensive contributor, finishing the 2019 season with a .295/.342/.503 line, 23 home runs, 97 runs scored, 82 runs batted in and 25 steals.
Marte has one year left on the team-friendly contract he signed a few years ago, plus a club option for 2021. He put pen to paper on a 7-year, $40 million pact. He is good and affordable.
He wants to play for the Mets
More importantly, Marte expressed a desire to go to the Mets back over the winter. He said to the media that he would love to be a part of the team, in an effort to get traded to a contender.
Of course, Marte wouldn’t come cheap. He’s the Pirates’ best trade chip, and they are rebuilding. They will surely want prospects and young, controllable pieces, and there aren’t too many of the former on the Mets.
The Mets invested a considerable part of their prospect capital in the Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz deal. The two teams were said to dangle Brandon Nimmo’s name when they were talking a few weeks ago, but Brodie Van Wagenen and his crew are “disinclined†to include him in any trade.
After all, Nimmo has three seasons left of team control, is younger than Marte (26 years old) and can play a capable center field, even if it is not his best position. Nimmo is very solid with the bat too, so adding him wouldn’t make much sense for the Mets.
For now, Nimmo and the recently-acquired Jake Marisnick will share center field duties for the New York Mets. Could the two teams swing a deal for Marte once and for all?