BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 29: Mookie Betts #50 of the Boston Red Sox looks on after the Red Sox defeat Baltimore Orioles 5-4 at Fenway Park on September 29, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts.
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The New York Mets have been on the lookout for star power all offseason. Add Mookie Betts to the list of big names they pursued.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the New York Mets made multiple offers to the Boston Red Sox for star outfielder Mookie Betts. The deal didn’t come together for a few reasons.

One, the Mets refused to add Jeff McNeil to the deal. Boston’s general manager Chaim Bloom has long been a fan of McNeil and wanted him in any deal for Betts. He actively pursued him in trade discussions when he was working for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018.

Instead, the Mets attempted to center a deal around Brandon Nimmo or J.D. Davis. Sherman reports that the Mets felt that giving up five years of McNeil for one year of Betts made little sense.

The Red Sox were not particularly intrigued by deals centered around Nimmo or Davis and one of Ronny Mauricio or Andres Gimenez. Even so, a deal could have been worked out if the Mets were willing to eat salary to help the Red Sox get under the luxury tax threshold.

The Mets had no interest in doing so. They wanted the Red Sox to take back salary to match up in any Betts deal. Sherman specifically mentions Jed Lowrie and Yoenis Cespedes as names that were discussed in potential iterations of the deal.

In the end, no deal came close to being made. The Mets just didn’t believe Betts would have been a smart buy given that he only has one year of control.

New York had more interest in a deal for Indians star shortstop Francisco Lindor, a deal that also fell apart because the Mets refused to trade Jeff McNeil.

Given how much interest the Mets showed in acquiring Betts this offseason, it’ll be interesting to see if they pursue him when he’s a free agent after the season. That could depend on what happens with the Mets ownership group.

A contributor here at elitesportsny.com. I'm a former graduate student at Loyola University Chicago here I earned my MA in History. I'm an avid Mets, Jets, Knicks, and Rangers fan. I am also a prodigious prospect nerd and do in-depth statistical analysis.