The Mets and Pirates have reengaged about the possibility of a Starling Marte trade, per sources for Robert Murray (via Twitter).
It’s an interesting time for the Mets to launch into trade discussions. They’d certainly love for something with a positive tilt to share the spotlight with Carlos Beltran’s recent dismissal. Of course, to view a discussion about Marte as reactionary from the Mets perspective presumes a number of things, including that the Mets were the ones to engage the Pirates. What we know for sure, the Mets would like to add an impact centerfielder, and the Pirates have one they are willing to trade – all of which has been true for the majority of the winter.
With most impact pieces off the board by now, Marte’s name has been curiously absent from the rumor mill of late, especially given the lack of league-wide depth in center. The Diamondbacks have previously been linked to Marte, as have the Cubs, though the latter remain on ice for the time being.
On the Pirates’ side, things have been pretty quiet thus far under Ben Cherington, who no doubt is taking some time to acclimate himself to the depth of the organization. That said, moving the 31-year-old Marte would be a natural place to start moving pieces around given his talent, contract, and age.
Insofar as talent is concerned, Marte has posted back-to-back 3+ fWAR seasons and owns a career batting line of .287/.341/.452. He put up a 119 wRC+ in 2019, and for the traditionalists in the crowd, he also posted his second 20-20 season (23 HR, 25 SB).
Defensively, he may have slipped a tick, but Statcast still has him near the middle of the pack with 2 Outs Above Average. His reaction time isn’t great, but he runs good routes and still tracks enough to remain viable in center. Fangraphs’ defensive metrics, however, were less kind (-9 DRS, -7.6 UZR). He’s due just $11.5MM this year with an exceptionally reasonable $12.5MM team option for 2021, so even a team like the Cubs ought to be able to work him into the payroll should they desire. There is the potential for slippage as he approaches his age-31 season, but again, at those contract rates, the risk is negligible. The only real holdup in trade discussions should be the Pirates asking price.
The Mets might seem like a peculiar fit. They already have a pseudo-centerfielder in Brandon Nimmo who handles the position adequately but without particular aplomb (which some might say describes Marte). And they have a fair amount of outfield depth, with Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil and J.D. Davis all capable of playing in the grass, though only Conforto is a natural outfielder. At the same time, they have their defensive option for center in Jake Marisnick, so a Marte addition would give whoever ends up managing the Mets a fair amount of options with which to mix-and-match based on handedness or situation.
Please don’t.
So who do the Mets give up to get Marte?
The only Marte I’d want now is Ketel. I don’t see Starling as a great improvement over a healthy Nimmo platooning with Marisnick and he’ll cost more while having less control.
Mets fans are buffoons if they don’t realize that Nimmo wishes he could be half of Marte. You guys are hilarious. I hope to God Pittsburgh doesn’t get Nimmo because he is a 26 year old who really hasn’t done much of anything. SD is a better trade matchup anyway. Mets fans want a very solid outfielder at the expense of nothing. Well, Nimmo to me is a fourth or fifth outfielder.
Who said fans were suggesting nothing? Also, how many 4th OF posted a 4.5 WAR season during their only full, healthy campaign (which is better than anything Marte has done lately).
Go back to the Pirates message board.
First, this is a thread about Marte, so …
Secondly, he is a FOURTH outfielder, so a spare part. LOL about the healthy thing. Left me know when Nimmo has 30-30 or even 20-20 potential. Pittsburgh would be a lot worse with Nimmo than Marte. Nimmo is nothing more than a spare part.
Andres Gimenez
The Pirates might go after catcher Francisco Alvarez and other pieces . . . Maybe a left-handed pitcher, too.
Alvarez isn’t getting traded for Marte that would be the end of Brodie…………
Which may not be the worst thing that could happen
So, you want to give up garbage for Marte. Hate to tell you, the cost should be Alvarez and Peterson. Therefore you can keep your garbage Nimmo.
Then, you aren’t getting him. Pretty simple. I laugh at Muts fans … end of Brodie for trading a fourth outfielder that has a .254 batting average for his career and a prospect that isn’t in your top four? LOL.
Your average, optimistic Mets fan would probably offer J.D. Davis and Jon Niese.
I was gonna say “please, no,” but this pretty much captures my sentiment.
I still feel like the Padres are a better trade partner for the Pirates because of their strong farm system.
Who would you hope to get from the Padres mlb1225? They will almost certainly not be giving up Gore, Patino or Abrams. Morejon? Campusano? Do the Pirates need a Catcher?
There had been early reports of a possible catcher for the near future or another prospect type. I doubt that a Blake hunt/manny Margot/ Adrian morejon would be the ideal package. I think cherington would be interested in prying campusano and maybe Cordero or Margot, then add in like a mid tier prospect pitcher? Not sure
Yes Campusano. Catcher was their second weakest position in 2019, and they have no top catching prospect.
You better move quickly, because Campusano is going to be re-ranked as a top 50 prospect when the next top 100 list comes out next week. They may not be willing to make that trade then.
Top 50 – ever happen for Marte – he’ll bring a top 10 or 15 prospect!
Braves would be the ideal partner – they have 3 quality catching prospects and good depth at Pitcher
You seriously think you will get one of the top 10-15 prospects in baseball for Marte? Teams have been unwilling to do that for Lindor! It’s not going to happen.
I don’t think the Padres are going to value him siginificantly more because of a prospect ranking. They know what they have, and if they value him very much, more than that of Marte’s value, then the Pirates will just have to move on.
You are correct. Honestly, I do not see Marte getting traded. The Pirates are going to want more for him than teams are willing to pay.
Yes. And we know how that worked out with Vasquez.
what a stupid response. Marte isn’t worth a top 75 pick. Get off this site
If they want Marte, they will be dealing Campusano. It’s pretty much a given.
The Bucs need a catcher badly. More starting pitching would hurt either and could be in the first base market if a full rebuild is embraced and they trade Bell next.
Pirates signed a catcher last week, low hitting, good fielding, great framing; John Murphy. So they might look at a catching prospect as part of a package, Murphy is stop gap at best, but his presence means they don’t need one badly.
Bucks got a 1B prospect in the minors on the way up
They need a C and pitching, pitching & more pitching.
What if the Pirates took on Myers’ contract? They won’t, but it would be a sensible move to increase the prospect haul
No one wants Myers contract. Pads are stuck with it.
Yeah I wish they’d be willing to eat a big contract to really maximize a trade. It’s not like we are going to have much of a payroll anyways.
They shouldn’t have moved him off 1st. Signing Hosmer was a mistake.
Why would Pittsburgh want Myers; pay for him to add a prospect to the return?
Yes, at this point the Pirates should be focused on adding as much young talent as possible, and their current payroll is pitiful enough that Myers’ contract, with the loss of Marte, wouldn’t even bring it to $80M. Plus there’s the chance that a change of scenery could help Myers.
Marte is not going to draw a huge return so you might as well stop frothing at the mouth over the Padres prospects. Marte is a 1 year rental and while he is good, he isn’t great. The Mets should be sufficient to land Marte. If they aren’t than that means the Pirates are asking for to much.
Okay I’m a stooge. He has 2 years left.
U feel that way. SD does not. They won’t trade anyone and it’s been that way for a long time
They traded a top prospect for Pham just a month or so ago.
Cmon AA, trade for Marte at the very least! We match up well with Pitt and need a bat after you let JD walk away.
Wilson and Contreras – see ya bye. Marte won’t block pache and waters either. Let’s go.
agree would rather send- if traded @ all- to ATL for Ian Anderson (RHP) (C)William Contreras (RHP)Daysbel Hernandez & if you’ll take Colin Moran we’ll take Austin Riley
Atlanta would need to be getting a lot more than just Marte to give up Anderson on his own, much less with Contreras too.
2 years on a very affordable contract – worse case if want something else will throw in Gonzalez
It would take tons of high explosives to get Anderson from Atlanta. Just FYI. And I am not even a Braves fan.
There no way you’re getting that much for Marte
will add to My offer (OF) Marte (RHP) Archer & (UTIL ) Gonzales/ (3B) Moran for (RHP) Ian Anderson (C) Wilson Contreras (RHP) Daysbel Hernandez
Will not happen. You will never get Anderson from Atlanta. For anyone on your team.
The Braves could get Kris Bryant for that package. Who do you think they would rather have?
Yea sorry you’re not getting a top 30 prospect for 2 years of marte. Contreras and Wilson are both top 10 in Braves system, that’s pretty damn good. Anderson goes no where unless it’s for a superstar.
Anderson plus a lot more to get a superstar
That trade is laughable pirates fan!
???? Are you drunk
no no no. cf belongs to Nimmo.
4 seasons in the majors and he has averaged 78 games and 58 starts because of injuries. If they are looking at Marte, the Mets have Nimmo’s injury history at the front of their minds. .
if nimmo goes back in a trade I’m not watching baseball this year. The ineptitude of this franchise is shockingly high
I am sure the Pirates would want someone with more than the 3 years of control that Nimmo has in exchange for Marte. If Marte is better than Nimmo(and he is), why would the Pirates make that trade?
He’s not significantly better than Nimmo to the point where he’s worth the difference in pay and control. You’re right the Pirates would want more but I don’t see it being worth it.
Average of 4 WAR vs 1.5 WAR. I would say that is significantly better. Average of 110 starts per season vs 58 starts per season. I would say that is significantly better.
Don’t worry, we don’t want Nimmo either. You’re welcome to keep him.
Don’t worry, we don’t want Nimmo either. You’re welcome to keep him.
I think the speculation about a Nimmo for Marte deal is overblown. The Pirates shouldn’t expect a treasure trove of prospects for Marte, but someone like Nimmo doesn’t really fit their needs at this point.
They’re going to trade for Marte and hire Baker in a misguided effort to placate the fanbase.
Even trade of Dom Smith and Marisnick for Marte or forget it. It’s not worth losing anything more from the 40 man roster.
Hard pass from the pirates
Easy pass from the Pirates
I mean, someone is gonna value Dom Smith, not that much, but someone will. But what would the Pirates do with him?
Apparently not that much getting offered. I’m not really sold on him because I’m hoping the new owner goes after Betts.
The only way I could see it is if they’re planning on trading Bell, but that doesn’t seem imminent.
Well I’m not saying that Smith will be any good but the majority of the offseason and spring training he’s going to be playing left field. He bound to improve slightly.
That would be a non-starter with the Pirates.
Cards could send tyler oneill and jake wofford. Or maybe edmundo sosa and knizer? Or some combination of those 4 players.
Still think if they can get archer in it, then a marte archer trade could be worth it. Not sure what mets would have to give, but if they take the contracts they might not need to give up a whole lot. Just a thought.
I’ve heard that one before, too, but you’d be trusting a young pitching coach in Hefner to “fix” Archer. Mets lit him up when I saw them play at Citi Field last year.
True. But maybe there is still something there worth taking a shot on. Even late relief or something.
Archer finished the year strong when he starting pitching like his old self and not conforming to the disastrous coaching of Searage. If I’m the Pirates, I hold him because I think he’ll be a good trade chip at the deadline.
Mets.are.a.joke of an org going nowhere again.
Rude and uncalled for.
Mets.are.a.joke of an org going nowhere again.
Mets.are.a.joke of an org going nowhere again.
You can say that again
oRaNgE tEaM bAd. Derp.
He won’t be going to the Mets. They need a catcher of the future in a Marte deal.
Which Marte would be better in c.f. for the Snakes? Ketel of course!
Mets trade SS Andres Gimenez, LHP Thomas Szapucki, RHP Junior Santos & OF Freddy Valdez for Starling Marte, 3B Colin Moran.& the Pirates take Jed Lowrie and his contract.
Why would the Mets do this. They have mcneil and Davis for third this year and both good and under control.
They want Marte and want rid of Lowries contract. Moran is in his 1st year of arb and can be a cheap bench bat bat platoon at 1B w/ Alonso allowing them to trade Smith. This still leaves them their young catcher & 2 top prospects plus their 1st round LHP Peterson.
Very bad trade.
Why on Earth would you want to platoon Alonso?
Guess he missed the 2019 season.
Nope
Mets and Pirates dpnt match up in this trade — unless they can get a 3rd team involved
he’d look good in left field for the cardinals. not sure what the cost would be. if they could get him for something like tyler oneil, junior fernandez, and montero that would be awesome. a major league ready OF with few years of control, and two top 6-10 prospects. maybe not enough.
I cant see a trade working without Nimmo as the centerpiece….and Nimmo’s ceiling is high enough where i feel getting Marte isnt worth it….plus…if Nimmo isnt involved…the OF log jam doesnt make sense. For the sake of this article my proposal would be:
Nimmo,Smith,Gsellman and Gimenez for Marte,Kela and single A lotto ticket arm
most logical trade on here
Like many other trade chips, pirates held Marte too long
Went from mvp return to middle of the pack return with one mediocre year
Can’t wait for pirates fans who thought Vazquez should get Lux, May and Ruiz to see the real Marte package
In what universe is a 20/20 season, .845 OPS, and 120 OPS+ a “mediocre season”? Marte is coming off a career year and somehow the Pirates waited too long? No, now is the time to trade him.
Lol 2013-2016 called about 2019 being Marte’s best year.
Seems dark…what Pitt ever do to you?
When…… did trying to win……. become…….. so unfashionable?
Do NOT trade Mauricio Baty Allan Alvarez McNeil Davis. Definitely package Nimmo Sewald
Gimenez for a Marte package.
I don’t understand why they just don’t trade Noah for Joe Adell . It’s a perfect fit for both teams….
Pirates rangers seem like a good match. Perhaps Sam huff can be pryed away.
Braves could send catcher William Contreras and MLB ready righty Touki Toussaint to the steel city for Sterling Marte and Adam Frazier.
Seems a little light for Marte + Frazier given that Frazier has been garnering trade talk on his own.
Starling to Flushing is pushing the gushing.
Mets offer one of their top SS prospects and Alvarez the catcher- pirates will take that offer. Bout as good as you’ll get for marte in this market. If pirates can’t get that though- they will most likely sit and wait and hope the market changes through out the season.
I don’t think the Pirates would do that one. They’re in control because they don’t really have to trade Marte. So they’re probably waiting for some offer that’ll blow them away. And the Mets would be crazy to give up any of the few decent prospects they have.
Mauricio and Alvarez maybe since Alvarez is low level but even that doesn’t seem like a good fit.. can’t see any interest in jimminez pirates have tucker Newman and o’neil cruz that can play ss. I think they’d only consider that after trying to get Contreras (braves) Amaya (cubs) huff (rangers) or varsho (dbacks) .
Oops meant mauricio not Alvarez. And can throw Ruiz (dodgers)on that list as well.
Oops meant mauricio not Alvarez. And can throw Ruiz (dodgers)on that list as well.
I understand that fan bases that don’t have to watch the Pirates don’t, but…
Marte is being criminally underrated.
Hits for power, steals bases, plays elite defense and finally figure out how to hit for some average, too.
Aside from when he…stares off into space and forgets what he’s doing…a pretty complete player.
it’s always a treat to watch him in left, and then he just turns around and looks at the crowd every 5 seconds…
A ‘complete player’ who is getting older and has already shown signs of diminishing defensive skills. He will put up 3-3.5 WAR at best. Not saying he’s not good, but to call him ‘criminally underrated’ is quite a stretch.
From the Mets end, catcher Nido, OF Nimmo and Ss Gimenez should be fair. If the Pirates expand to add anyone then the Mets have pitchers who got tastes at the top level last year.
The Pirates want players w/ long term control that are near MLB ready. Depending on what the Pirates plans are for Josh Bell, Dom Smith may be a target but other than that I doubt the Pirates target any one else on the Mets current roster.. Andres Gimenez, David Peterson & Thomas Szapucki are in AA and the most probable targets for the Pirates. The Pirates have 2 catchers at rookie level that showed promise or they can draft a top ranked one in 2020 so they may not be to worried about getting Alvarez from the Mets. If the Pirates expand the deal and include Kela then they may ask for a lower level prospect or 2. Freddy Valdez is a possible replacement in the OF & Junior Santos is a young arm w/ upside. Gimenez would provide a back-up plan if Cole Tucker is not able to figure things out at the MLB level. The Mets have players that fit into the Pirates plans but I am not sure that the Pirates are targeting a quantity deal but it is looking like a team is not going to offer a top prospect. A trade of Gimenez, Szapucki, Santos & Valdez for Marte & Kela would benefit both clubs and might make sense.
Kela has tremendous value on his own. You could never get him as a throw-in on a trade.
Kela, Not really. He has a bad rap attitude wise and also he’s kinda a prima donna. Bucs screwed the pooch on that one IMO. Apostle is going to be pretty gosh darn good for the Rangers.
I like Cherington’s self-discipline.
So many new GMs want to immediately put their stamp on the team. Usually turns out badly.
Cherington really doesn’t have to do anything till the trade deadline if he doesn’t want to. It’s a gamble on health but Marte, Bell, Moran, Kela, Feliz,Musgrove, and even Archer (assuming a new coaching staff can fix him) could likely get better returns later than right now.
I think Ben will wait to evaluate his players before jettisoning some away.
I think you might be right. But I would definitely looking to move Marte now.
If the pirates do a deal with the Mets, I believe Francisco Alverez will have to be part of any return. A Marte for Nimmo trade makes no sense for Pittsburgh, why would they trade a better player they control for a guy that can’t stay on the field? I’d sweeten the deal for the Mets. Alverez and a top pitching prospect for Marte and Kela.
Pirates are not getting Alvarez for Starlin marte lol
Mets are not getting Marte for leftover junk either.
Wanna bet! Up and up I think it could happen. That is at a minimum his worth. Mets system is junk. Alvarez is not as great as you all think. He’s just good in a weak system
Gimenez and Dom Smith. Who says no?
Dom Smith plays 1b Pirates have Bell — Smith sucks in the OF Pirates want Nimmo and more — its going to take another team to help the Mets get Marte — so just sign Pillar
Dom Smith? That’s a fat no
Marte’s defense makes him a corner OFer now. So, this deal makes little sense outside of an MLB The Show trade. Heck, I doubt any self-respecting OOTP GM would consider Marte a legit CFer at this point.
Alas, this makes me all but certain that BVW will pull it off.
That’s crazy talk
Anyone that makes this comment clearly knows little about the game of baseball.
You’ve clearly never actually watched Marte play
Try the reverse. Does he have his warts, sure most guys do. But to sit here and pontificate as he actually wouldn’t help the Mets is foolhardy. Nimmo I actually like. But to think he is all around as good as Marte, is crazy talk.
I personally hope BC doesn’t trade Marte to the Mets. The guy didn’t do anything so wrong to go to that kinda nonsense.
He runs very good routes so if he is positioned correctly it’s pretty much a no brainer. Plus just to add playing LF at PNC is like playing CF in just about any other park in the MLB. He did just fine there. And his arm is a cannon
The defensive metrics disagree with you…
Marte in CF: DRS -10 … DWAR (BBref) -.7 … RF/9 2.41 (2.32 is league ave.) … RF/G 2.35 (lg ave is 2.31).
BTW, Nimmo’s 2019 defensive metrics (in CF)… DRS -7 … DWAR -.3 … RF/9 2.43.
Hence, Marte is another pseudo-CF of the Nimmo class.
Citing defensive metrics as gospel is basically saying “I don’t watch the games or really process it when I do.”
Hurdle’s shifts negatively hurt Marte’s defensive numbers. You’d know that if you ever watched a Pirates game.
Seriously I don’t know where you are getting your numbers from. As that isn’t what I’m reading. From anywhere!
The reason Marte is getting the bad rap in CF is that Hurdle had him (and Cutch before) playing entirely too shallow. That’s what the problem was.
In fact stat cast had Mate sprinting 29 ft per sec last year, which a hair above his baselines in 16, 17 and 18.
On the contract he’s due 11.5 mil and 12.5 mil and has been worth 3WAR every year except the year he was suspended. Considering 1 WAR is $ valued at between 8 and 10 million that’s really good value.
I love how Mets fans throw out players like Don Smith or Nimmo for Marte. Clearly Mets fans don’t know Pittsburgh Pirates needs and strengths. Front office arm chair GMs crack me up with their trade proposals. They must be on MLB The Show doing trade scenarios for Marte. So classic lol
Pirates fans are asking for Alvarez. I’d say that’s even more delusional….
Bottom line Marte makes you better! Isn’t winning now what you want ! A minor leaguer is a minor leaguer.
The Mets already are built good enough to compete. Trading a elite prospect for marte. Who nimmo very well could outperform next year. Yeah that’s not going to happen.
Mets are a injury or two from missing the post season again. Don’t get to high there Dice. NY fans crack me up
Same could be said for the Braves, Nats, and Phillies( who won’t even make it if fully healthy.) you’re just a hater of a very talented team.
I’m hardly hating but stating a fact. Braves and Nats are legit contenders for the division. Mets need everything to go right to be in the hunt. Phillies are so far out that it’s crazy to consider them contenders. But Mets fans have never had a baseball IQ. Just continue to go by Fangraphs and get your hopes up that Mets win the division.
Your not using your brain… Braves lost Donaldson and their lineup 5-9 is very avg. Nats losing rendon will hurt them a lot… Mets will be right in the mix with both teams… you’re just a hater who follows a stupid narrative.
Since when is Alvarez an elite prospect? He is not top 100. He may not even be top 200. He would be the absolute minimum in a trade for Marte. He could maybe be the headliner in a PACKAGE of prospects. And I am not a Pirates fan.
How many 18 year olds are in the top 100.. your post doesn’t make sense… he is one of the best 18 year old prospects in baseball
CJ Abrams. Top 50.
Yes name more.
Riley Greene, Julio Rodriguez, Bobby Witt, Wander Franco…..
Crazy talk
Do you see those teams trading those players for marte?? This proves my point
That’s crazy talk again! Washington Atlanta! I’m not sure philly doesn’t have something to say. Just nonsense with Mets fans
Not in the slightest. He’s a few years from the bigs and not even a top 100 prospect, Alvarez would be one of several pieces necessary for Marte. Stop overvaluing your prospects.
Alvarez is 18 and already a top 5 catching prospect in all of baseball. This guy will probably be top 25 before he comes up. He that highly talked about. Pirates aren’t getting anything close to him in a deal for marte.
How many 18 year olds are top 100????
Oh yeah I forgot that every talented 18 year old pans out in the end, how stupid of me.
Prospects that are further from the bigs have less value, you’re overvaluing Alvarez (he’s not at all untouchable) and also undervaluing Marte, a consistent and steady producer (which Nimmo isn’t).
Alvarez is not a normal 18 year prospect. He will be a top 100 prospect at the age of 19…. you’re not getting a slight upgrade…. who might not be a slight upgrade next year… for a package that even mentions Alvarez Allen or Mauricio…. think more of Gimenez plus.
Well then the Pirates will pass, not enough to be worth moving him now
Alvarez has only had roughly 150 AB in Rookie ball. CJ Abrams of the Padres has about the same. Of course, Abrams hit .080 higher BA and .100 higher OPS, along with top of the scale speed and athleticism and 40-SB ability. I guess that makes him the prospect equivalent of Tatis last year or Acuna the year before, right? He should be worth Syndergaard straight up, shouldn’t he? Maybe Syndergaard++? By your prospect valuation at least.
We aren’t taking about tatis acuna or Syndergaard.. are we???? We are talking about marte… if the padres trade cj abrams in a package for marte they are dumber than I thought…
You guys are just asking for to much a package with Gimenez+ (not named Allen Alvarez and Mauricio) should be more than enough… even nimmo is probably worth more to some GM’s than marte… idek why the Mets want marte…
Relax! Use your inhaler.
Because Nimmo is nowhere near the caliber of CF that Marte is. Speed, routes, arm. This is not a knock on Nimmo, I like the guy a lot! But positionally no. Not CF. IMO Marte is a better CF than Cutch defensively. Hit tool no but his all around package defensively is better. Marte is a 20/20 guy. His biggest wart is he chases down and away too much. Tho he adjusted that last year more than what I expected.
Nimmo at his best is better than marte at his best. Again I’m not trading Alvarez for a slight upgrade
Not really when on the open market Marte is worth approximately (according to WAR) nearly 30 mil per year. But yet he’s only due 24 mil over 2 years or worst case 11.5 plus 1.0 buy out if completely tanked. You New York people need fresh air.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see this version of the Pirates FO and how they conduct trades. Completely natural for fans of other clubs to think the team will simply give away talent yet again
That said, I have to think scouts know that Marte is a guy who can’t lay off curve balls the dirt. It’s like Pavlov’s dog. He can’t resist. And I have to think they’re aware of his on/off switch when it comes to hustling, and his penchant for taking a few days off for turf toe here, sore pinky there
No pitchers on the horizons in the minors. No catchers. No outfielders. What a time to be a Pirates fan
Several teams would like Marte! Poker game right. Braves,Diamondbacks, Padres,Reds plus Mets like him. Bucs will get nice package from someone for sure.
Jays too
Mets/Pirates probably shouldn’t happen. Mets really don’t have much that makes sense for the pirates to ask for.
Dom Smith and Francisco Alvarez are about it. Dom only really makes sense if the pirates happen to find a trade partner for Bell that provides the right value.
Alvarez only makes sense if they’re waiting for 4/5 years to compete and if that’s what they’re doing… well.. it would be dumb.
Pirates need catching this or next year.. not just years down the line.
If the pirates are trading marte they need someone who will likely be starting by 2021. to take advantage of what is already on the team before they’re gone too.
Of course if you can fleece the Padres farm.. well.. then.. okay….
Really though, Ben missed his chance by missing out on every quality catcher and nearly every third base option on the open market. I know hes still getting used to the franchise.. but damn, this off season was ripe for the picking with all the free agents in reasonable striking distance for the pirates… doubt we’ll see another round like this in a while.
I wouldn’t hold my breath on fleecing the Padres farm if I was you. Many have tried and failed, and they have had Much bigger pieces to offer than Starling Marte. If the Padres wouldn’t sell the farm for Syndergaard or Lindor, they sure aren’t going to do it for Marte.
Fleecing? The Padres are so deep their 10th ranked guy could be a top 2 to 5 in another organization. I wouldn’t think the buccos would be in on any of the top 5. (Not that I wouldn’t want to be, just being realistic) Probably someone from 6 to 10 and a lotto ticket or 2 does the trick.
Jays are a good fit for where both teams are at. Jays have decent lower level catching. One of Riley, Kirk or Moreno. I’d consider moving high ceilings pitcher Elvis Luciano, if Pittsburgh took 6-8M in Marte’s salary.
I’d also add one of Alford, Fisher or McKinney to get the deal done.
Keep in mind, Marte could potentially be owed 24M still. There is good value in the salary dump there too the Pirates.
Marte is worth far more than his contract is paying him.
So is every 1st year player with a 1 war. If u believe that a 1 war is worth 8 M.
any combination of the 3 players is around 15 years of control. Pirates have no choice but to tear it down.
LI agree that Pittsburgh is absolutely in need of a rebuild. They are going to need good, or at least decent prospects to do so. The Jays have 2 prospects in the top 100. I believe the best prospect in your offer is the Jay’s 8th best? That would put him in the 250-500 range overall. That will not do it. You offer 3 guys, but all low quality. Even 3 bags of trash still comes out to just trash in the end. It would probably take something like Manoah or at the very least Woods-Richardson+. I am not a Pirates fan, I am just saying that is what it will take to get them to move Marte.
Why would the Pirates take on any of Marte salary? Dude he is only on the books for 24mil for 2 years. And that’s if you pick up the option.
The guy is a 3 WAR player. Is he a make or break guy, not really. But he’s one heck of a nice piece to have if you are going for it.
IMO I really would not care if the Pirates got a catcher back in a trade for Marte. It’s all about upside/talent. If I’m talking to the Jays, I’m asking for Orelvis Martinez and someone like Kendall Williams with loads of projection. But I gotta have Martinez
IMO I really would not care if the Pirates got a catcher back in a trade for Marte. It’s all about upside/talent. If I’m talking to the Jays, I’m asking for Orelvis Martinez and someone like Kendall Williams with loads of projection. But I gotta have Martinez
Again IMO the Mets are going to have to overpay as the system really isn’t that great. If they must send Nimmo that’s fine but I’m getting either Alvarez or at least two of the following Szapucki Ramirez Santos Newton (tho newton is extremely raw the upside is big if not tremendous). Preferably Ramirez Santos Newton
i have it on pretty good authority that the Pirates are asking for Dwight Gooden and the rights to the disguise Bobby Valentine wore after he was ejected. We Pirate fans have come to expect such returns.
If the pirates trade Marte, it’s sad. There will be a hole in center field after that. Bob is a piece of dog poop. He fails to spend money.
Why would the bucs do anything that’s sensible in regard to getting a good return for their asset? What did they get for Cole? Do you really think they will get a decent return for Marte? No they will find a way to screw it up and go as cheap as possible. We could use a couple new broadcasters. How bout some gently used jock straps and cups for Marte?
marte is now officially a met.
Which I feel bad for Marte. Actually I feel bad for anyone suiting up for the Mets