The Royals showed interest in Starling Marte earlier in the offseason, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Those talks obviously didn’t produce a deal, but Sherman adds that Kansas City hasn’t completely closed the door on the possibility. There’s no indication talks are active, but it’s nevertheless notable that the Royals are still interested to an extent. It shows that Kansas City is still weighing options to bring in an outfield bat and that they perhaps have some financial flexibility even with a player payroll that’s nearly $20MM north of last year’s spending levels.
Of course, the Royals wouldn’t be taking on the entirety of Marte’s salary in a trade. The 36-year-old is entering the final season of a four-year, $78MM contract and is owed $19.5MM in 2025. Coming off a pedestrian .269/.327/.388 batting line (104 wRC+), Marte is no longer productive enough for another team to have interest in taking on the full freight of his salary. The Mets have reportedly been willing to pay down a portion of that $19.5MM.
Health is another factor to consider. Marte missed the final seven weeks of the 2023 season with a groin strain and was out for nearly two months last summer due to a bone bruise in his right knee. He’s been hobbled by ongoing discomfort in that same knee this spring and has yet to appear in a game. Manager Carlos Mendoza did suggest yesterday that Marte could get into a game within the next few days (link via Newsday’s Tim Healey), but presumably any team looking into the possibility of acquiring him would want to see the veteran outfielder get into a few games to demonstrate that he’s healthy enough to be considered likely for Opening Day.
The Royals’ interest in Marte makes some sense on paper. They’ve been looking for an outfield bat for much of the offseason and have come up empty. The Royals have looked into various trade targets and reportedly made offers to free agents Anthony Santander and Jurickson Profar, who instead signed with the Blue Jays and Braves, respectively. Last year’s primary outfield of MJ Melendez, Kyle Isbel and Hunter Renfroe was among the least-productive outfield groups in all of MLB. The Royals plan to give trade acquisition Jonathan India and infielder Michael Massey some work in left field this season, but the broad outfield outlook remains bleak if they can’t get a long-awaited Melendez breakout and/or a return to form for the veteran Renfroe.
When the two sides talked earlier in the offseason, per Sherman, the Mets expressed interest in Royals relievers Hunter Harvey and Angel Zerpa. Kansas City understandably didn’t have interest in moving a quality reliever to buy low on an expensive veteran in his mid-30s.
Unless the Mets are willing to take on the second season of a two-year deal for Chris Stratton, who hasn’t panned out as hoped in K.C., it’s hard to envision them prying a member of the Royals’ bullpen away in a Marte swap. Harvey was excellent for much of the 2024 season but struggled in July before landing on the injured list with what proved to be a season-ending back issue in August. He’s being paid $3.7MM this year in his final season of club control. Zerpa isn’t even arb-eligible yet and is controllable through 2028. He posted a 3.86 ERA with a 20.5% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate and massive 58.4% grounder rate in 2024. Both are in line to play notable roles for manager Matt Quatraro.
He makes more sense on the Orioles of the Blue Jays or the Cardinals.
I didn’t realize he has lingering injuries. I still suggest a one for one swap for Yoshida.
“Swap for Yoshida”…Isn’t Yoshida owed considerably more than Marte’s $19M? That’s not a good swap for the Mets, because Yoshida is a below replacement level player in my honest opinion(analytics may feel differently).
Marte, with all his faults, aging and injury issues, has always been multi faceted and an above average player for his career.
I believe Marte is available due to an outfielder glut on the Mets, whereas Yoshida is available because he is a limited value player who’s deficient defensively and who’s fairly expensive.
What the….Yoshida 1.4 WAR in 2024. Marte 0.7, It’s not even close. Yoshida by a mile at this stage in their careers. I can’t believe you even suggested Marte was better.
fWAR has it closer, .8 to .6. I think any way you look at it, they’re both marginal players at this point, and Yoshida is owed a lot more money. If I have to pick between two guys I don’t really want, I’ll take the cheaper one who only has a year left on his deal.
Oh yeah. When it comes to the money, you don’t want to to be stuck paying Yoshida, but the idea that Marte is better is what I disagree with. All things being equal, Yoshida still provides valuable offense. Comparing contracts, Yoshida’s is obviously worse right now.
Mets have Jesse Winker.
Yoshida has had more hits, HR’s, walks, OBP, and less strikeouts than Marte has had in these past couple of years too.
Yeah. I’m not saying the Mets need Yoshida as currently constructed. They don’t. I’m just saying if anyone had to choose between Marte and Yoshida at this point of their careers for the same amount of money, it’s not even close. Yoshida.
Zerpa last 2 seasons 4.30 era 1.37 whip 7.9 k/9. He’s young, but those #s are not great. And hunter Harvey had 6.35 era for KC last yr
Not sure i’d label either a “quality” rp
Trading for starling would have been fair
Stratton is garbage, he’s worth a bucket of sunflower seeds. Keep marte for depth if thats kc’s offer.
Or better, sign d rob its a no brainer
$20.7 mil depth player, huh?
It’s not exactly unique that a veteran signed to a big deal ends up a bench player by the last year of the deal.
I wonder if this was around when KC offered Adam Duvall 1M (plus incentives), which he declined.
This would be a trade that makes sense for both clubs. Mets need his roster spot opened for an infielder and the Royals need some help for Witt in that lineup. Mets pay 12m of his salary and Royals give a flyer on a prospect.
Or they could send Michael Massey back and the Mets add on a minor prospect. It gets rid of the superfluous, since India was acquired, Massey and kills the Mets need to scrape up an infielder.
Why would the royals just randomly give away Massey?
Nothing random about it. It’s called a trade. It’s them putting him in a basket and ringing someone’s doorbell.
How about Massey and Stratton for Marte, Alex Ramirez and 14 million?
@hiflew, my point was more why would the Royals offer a controllable piece that has actual value in exchange for Marte who has negative value.
But he doesn’t have actual value for the Royals as long as India is there. It is like having a car that sits in the garage. Yes, it has value, but the longer it sits there, the less it is worth and you are not getting any value out of it at all. Marte does not have negative value, he is just overpaid at this point. He is still a productive player.
KC likes Massey though. As a matter of fact, they’re probably gunna be having India DH and play OF because of him. At least some of the time.
Mets need to accept what they can for Marte, cash or long lottery prospect.
P.s.
I think it will take close to 15 mil. Maybe a mil or two more
Could a “story” be less relevant?
I was thinking it couldn’t be more ‘Startling’ Marte.
Kind of a nothing clickbait story of old news by Sherman. Not any different from the AI sites and their daily “former scout, now working as night watchman in match factory, calls power arm a perfect fit for Mets”
Maybe he works as a matchman in a watch factory.
Agreed 10 cent. Until the man gets on the field and shows he can play for an extended period of time (which he may no longer be able to do), no one is going to trade anything for him.
Another overpaid bust
But the players continue to insist they are abused financially
“Abused financially”…You got multi millionaire players and billionaire owners both crying poor. Both are completely oblivious to the realities of life, self absorbed and 100% tone deaf.
Professional sports players will keep making their money while you keep staying mad about a capitalistic society, Comrade Mikhail. It’s reality. Face it.
The worst thing about capitalism is it breeds greed. It seems like instead of the rich being 1%, they’re now 10% because of the internet (if you count anyone with control over finances who always seem to steal. Especially politicians). The other 90% can’t afford to live. And they definitely can’t afford to have a substantial emergency expense. It’s the best system going but it still sucks unless you’re overly ambitious and greedy, I guess.
You got issues dude, get help
Verdugo makes more sense to me on a one year deal. Way less cost in dollars and prospects. 8 years younger and he was worth more WAR last year.
Since they aren’t signing him last year, last year’s WAR is pretty much meaningless. WAR is just a tally of that year’s production, not any type of predictor of future success or failure.
Of course WAR is predictive. It’s the sum of everything that happens on a baseball field.
everything that HAPPENED, not happens. It is a tally of the past.
Oh, god. People who don’t understand usage, correcting usage. Shoo, flew.
Um, yeah I learned about past tense and present tense in the first grade. I think I have a pretty good understanding of it.
I do not “shoo.” I am not going anywhere, so unless you mute me, learn to live with it.
Yankees stroman for marte straight up. Yankees have insurance with a vet in the outfield and the Mets will have a vet pitcher back of course of someone they know.
The Mets want nothing to do with Stroman and his 3 year contract.
One more year with a vesting ’26 option if he reaches 140 IP. But please don’t let these very minor details get in the way of your hating.
Nobody wants him. Nobody is taking him off your hands. What does hate got to do with it besides you being ignorant? The Mets aren’t the ones trying to get anyone to take him. The Yankees are.
@tigerdiesel Marte is useless in the OF, one of the worst OFers in MLB last year at 35, and now he’s 36.
The best you can hope for, if you have a hole at DH for some reason, is that Marte holds serve, and gives you a league average bat ,and roughly 1 WAR from the position instead of whatever dregs you currently have there.
That’s all he’s capable of. Hard to say what that’s worth, or what the Mets are willing to eat. Since we’re already in ST, even if he’s healthy they’d have to pay down at least $16m of his $19.75m
I’d do that if I were the Mets. They could use another SP and Stroman will probably be motivated because he has to feel totally unwanted. Yankees would probably be more interested in Baty for their 3B hole though. And I don’t think the Mets would move him for Stroman.
Marte will do fine as a platoon DH. He hits LHP well and can face select RHP. Maybe move him at the deadline and give Vientos some DH play and Baty or hopefully Mauricio can play some 3B.
The Royals’ true target may not be Marte—it may be a hidden prospect or financial advantage that they extract from New York by playing hard to get.
Or maybe Baty for 3B.
Starlin Marte could play for a lot of teams.