New York Mets: Three potential Dominic Smith trade destinations

Following a breakout year at the plate, the value for Dominic Smith is high, which is why the New York Mets should look to use him as a trade chip this offseason

As the New York Mets get set for their first offseason under the new regime, the word coming out of Flushing is that they’ll be active on the trade market. With multiple holes to fill, the Mets will have to use both free agency and trades to construct what Steve Cohen hopes will be a legitimate World Series contender in 2021. If the Mets want are looking to maximize the return on trades this offseason, those trade talks should include Dominic Smith

Smith broke out in 2020 where he compiled a line of .316/.377/.616/.993 along with 10 homers and 41 RBIs. While Mets fans may not want to part with the lovable first basemen, Dom’s value is sky high right now, which is why they should try to package him in a trade.

With the DH position not staying in the NL for 2021, playing time might become a bit tricky as the roster stands right now. With Pete Alonso set to man first base and left field appearing to have a rotating platoon of Brandon Nimmo and J.D. Davis, looking for places to plug Dom’s bat into the lineup will be tricky.

There’s a chance that other pieces could be moved this winter that would allow Smith to have a more solidified spot in the lineup. However, a much better defensive first baseman than a left fielder, Dom won’t benefit from having at-bats taken by Davis and Nimmo, which is why the Mets should look to explore dealing him to one of these three teams.

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies owner, Dick Monfort let fans know that this offseason will be a unique one given the economic state for a lot of franchises. With Daniel Murphy entering free agency, Smith would be an ideal candidate to take over the first base duties in Denver. Josh Fuentes who saw time at first for the Rockies in 2020 benefitted greatly from playing at Coors Field as his batting average was almost 150 points higher at home than on the road.

Most batters benefit from the friendly play of Coors, but with Smith being two years younger and being a far more consistent bat, he’d be an upgrade over Fuentes.

Nolan Arenado’s displeasure in Colorado is well known and given that the Mets are in the market for a right-handed bat as well as a full-time third baseman, a trade between these two makes perfect sense.

Arenado is a perennial gold glover, having received the award in seven of the eight seasons in his career. In Nolan, the Mets would have an upgrade at the third base position, especially on the defensive end. The hot corner saw multiple occupants during the 2020 season, with J.D. Davis seeing the most action there (55% of games) and having a full-time, every day third baseman would benefit this club immensely.

It seems silly to have concerns about a five-time all-star and four-time Silver Slugger, but Arenado is not without some concern. Having spent his entire career in the hitter-haven that is Coors Field, Arenado has seen some stark splits when playing at home and on the road.

Arenado’s career splits:

Home – .322/.376/.609/.985

Away – .263/.322/.471/.793

These are drastic splits, especially in the power department. This isn’t to say Arenado wouldn’t be an upgrade to the lineup, but the expectation shouldn’t be what we may be used to seeing in Colorado.

There’s also the contract situation. Nolan is owed $35M in 2021 and also has a player-option at the end of the year. It would make sense that if the Mets were trading for Arenado, it would be with the long term in mind, so even if he opted out, the Mets would certainly try to resign him. If Arenado didn’t opt-out at the end of 2021, he’d be owed that same $35M through the 2026 season.

The gold glover turns 30 next April and so the Mets would have to decide if trading Smith would be worth it to pay a hefty amount of money for the latter years of Arenado’s career, while most likely being rewarded over the next two to three seasons.

Cleveland Indians

The Mets are most certainly going to look for an upgrade to their rotation through free agency as well as through the trade market. While rumors have picked up recently regarding the possibility of Francisco Lindor being moved to Flushing, including Dom in a bigger package along with prospects would help in the Indians adding one of their arms into the mix.

While the package would center around Lindor, the Mets should push to have Zach Plesac added into the deal as well. For the Indians, they’d probably be more inclined to move Carlos Carrasco who is set to make $11M in 2021 and is 33 years old. However, with a package of prospects, and two major league established players such as Amed Rosario and Smith, the Mets could be in a position to bolster their rotation and maintaining their roster’s youth.

Plesac, who will turn 26 next January, was the center of some controversy this season when he and Mike Clevinger decided to go out partying, resulting in positive COVID tests and causing a rift within the clubhouse.

Clevinger was shipped to San Diego and rumors of Plesac being traded swirled as well. In eight starts in 2020, Plesac pitched to the tune of a 2.28 ERA, with a WHIP under 1.00 and 57 strikeouts over 55 innings pitched. It’s an eight-game sample, but those eight starts were a drastic improvement from Plesac’s rookie year in 2019 which ERA of 3.81 and a FIP of nearly 5.00.

The Mets could try to pry away Triston McKenzie, but given what we saw in 2020, it might be a steeper price to try to include him in a package with Lindor. Plesac seems like a more realistic option as a trade chip while also providing upside potential.

If the Mets wanted to include Smith in a trade to Cleveland, it would give them an opportunity to add to their rotation of 2021 as almost an aside to what would otherwise be a mega-deal in landing Lindor.

With Carlos Santana being a free agent, the Indians would be able to have an established first baseman in their lineup that is under team control and cost efficient. Not being known to retain their stars, Cleveland could look to rebuild their team and make Smith part of their core moving forward.