Mets trade rumors: Zack Wheeler could land a team’s seventh best prospect

Recent New York Mets trade rumors have given an idea of what Zack Wheelers trade value is. According to Mike Puma, the Mets could get as high as a team’s seventh best prospect.

I expect to write plenty of New York Mets trade rumors pieces over the next few weeks. Diverging from the idea of buying to one of selling, I’m on watch to see who could go where and for what.

According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, there is an expectation that Zack Wheeler could bring back a team’s seventh or eighth best prospect and possibly another player. Fortunately, for those interested in knowing the names of those players, MLB Pipeline recently updated its list of top prospects.

A seventh or eighth prospect plus more is not a flashy haul. However, given the returns the Mets have received in past trades in recent history, it’s more than we could ask for.

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Prospect lists are fluid and vary between each. One sure thing is that you’re unlikely to find a team’s seventh or eighth best prospect in the top 100. This hardly eliminates the possibility of adding talent. To me, this just means the Mets need to acquire a younger kid a little further away from the major leagues. It’s time to get scouting.

For a point of reference, Simeon Woods Richardson is the Mets’ number seven prospect. The 2018 second-round pick is several seasons away from becoming a possible big league option. If these Mets trade rumors Puma has reported come true, we could expect to get someone like him—or better.

I know this isn’t what Mets fans probably want to hear. It’s the real world, unfortunately. Elite-level prospects are rarely dealt.

Keep in mind, just because someone isn’t highly rated now doesn’t mean they won’t develop further.

As an example of this, I think back to when the Washington Nationals acquired Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson in 2017 for MLB pitcher Blake Treinen and a pair of prospects, Sheldon Neuse and Jesus Luzardo.

At the time, Neuse and Luzardo were not in the top 100. Luzardo is now the number 12 prospect in baseball and Neuse has a comfortable spot as the 9th best in the organization. Neuse is also tearing it up in Triple-A this season one year shy of the Nationals potentially losing their third baseman Anthony Rendon to free agency.

What’s more, Treinen had an All-Star season in 2018 as the Oakland closer. The Athletics took a risk on him and things worked well at least for a year.

Trades often take a while to work out in the seller’s favor. These early Mets trade rumors aren’t all that exciting. Over time, they could look a lot better.

By himself, Wheeler probably won’t land a package like this. What he could potentially bring the Mets is someone with promise.

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Based on Puma’s Mets trade rumors saying he could get them a seventh or eighth best prospect, I’m checking out his potential landing spots and what those teams have to offer. It’s an opportunity to do my own scouting and prepare for the fact that although the Mets are adding another team’s number seven guy, they could see him rank much higher compared to what they have on the farm.