The New York Mets reportedly didn’t want to give up two of their top prospects in order to acquire outfielder Starling Marte.
For much of this offseason, there were talks that the New York Mets had a chance to acquire Starling Marte via a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Marte is an All-Star outfielder who could definitely provide some firepower to New York’s lineup.
Nonetheless, the Pirates decided to trade Marte to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, essentially shutting the door on the Mets’ chances.
After it was initially unclear what Pittsburgh had wanted from the Mets, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported the Pirates wished for two of New York’s top-five prospects. Obviously, the Amazins declined that request.
Pirates’ request of Mets in Marte talks was for 2 of their top 5 prospects. Mets thought: too steep for them
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 27, 2020
Marte had been with the Pirates for his entire major-league career up until Monday. He first appeared in the majors in 2012. Marte earned a trip to the All-Star Game in 2016 and won the Gold Glove Award in both 2015 and 2016.
He actually struggled in the field this past year, recording five errors from the centerfield spot through 1,141.1 total innings. From the batter’s box, Marte recorded 23 home runs, 82 RBIs, and a slash line of .295/.342/.503.
If the Mets were to acquire him, it would’ve likely forced Brandon Nimmo out of Queens one way or another. Nevertheless, Nimmo will stay in New York for the time being. Having said that, the team’s outfield depth could include him, Michael Conforto, J.D. Davis, and Yoenis Cespedes in 2020.
It’s unclear who will start where, especially if Cespedes is on the roster and healthy for the first time since 2018.
