Rumors have surfaced of the New York Mets and New York Yankees discussing Steven Matz’s name in trade talks. The Yankees already have James Paxton, Luis Severino, and Domingo German currently missing time. For a rare time, the Mets have leverage over the Yankees and should draw out the process as long as possible.
As NY Post reported there has been some contact between Mets and Yankees on Steven Matz. However, multiple sources say that there is no reason to think it will progress or that anything will happen there.
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) March 2, 2020
The rumors are only in the beginning stages at the moment, but the Yankees are in desperate need of starting pitching. Matz has shown inconsistencies that prevent him from becoming a front line start but is still serviceable for 30 starts. The Mets should use their leverage to get precisely what they want. Should the Yankees struggle to meet the Mets’ expectations, they keep Matz.
Who Can They Receive
Miguel Andujar is automatically the first name to come up, but it looks to be a long shot. Andujar has more value than Matz and is a legitimate bat to throw in any lineup. The Mets can get other pieces with similar value to Matz. The only way the Mets settle for anything less than Andujar is if they can unload Jed Lowrie at the same time.
Andujar has to be the goal for the Mets. He is an All-Star level third baseman who quickly plugs into the lineup. The Mets cannot settle for anything less due to their lack of depth behind their six starters. Any trade between the crosstown rivals is always fun to ponder but have very low chances of happening in reality.