New York Mets: Three possible Amed Rosario trade destinations

Where could the New York Mets possibly trade Amed Rosario this offseason?

The New York Mets have a very obvious problem on their hands: what are they going to do at shortstop moving forward? It’s an excellent issue for them to have because they have so much talent at the position, but it is a problem, nonetheless.

Entering the 2020 season Amed Rosario, the team’s starting shortstop, was coming off his breakout year and expectations were high for him. The organization as well as the fanbase were excited and relieved that Rosario’s defense was improving and, more importantly, that he seemed to have found it at the plate.

However, COVID-19 would present the Mets with a serious complication at the shortstop position. Rosters were expanded and teams had the ability to add more players. Even so, the Mets made a surprise move by adding shortstop Andrés Giménez.

Giménez, who was 21 years old at the time, had played at no higher level than AA and whose ETA at the major league team was 2021. His base running ability, speed, and defense were all there, but the general consensus was that his hitting needed work.

The Mets eased the youngster into his rookie campaign, using him almost exclusively as a pinch runner and defensive replacement early on. He immediately exhibited those strengths, running very well and making highlight-reel defensive plays almost consistently.

However, Giménez was quick to take advantage of the opportunity to impress on the grandest stage of all and did just that without looking back. His hitting was so good that it became almost blasphemous for him to be left out of the lineup.

Rosario, who is speedy but hasn’t been a great baserunner so far, and isn’t known for having a good glove, also wasn’t exactly effective or consistent at the plate.

By the end of the season, many were calling for Giménez to become the team’s number one shortstop. Even manager Luis Rojas, who had said that Rosario was still the team’s first option at short, quickly changed his mind, saying Giménez would also see consistent playing time there.

Giménez was so good in his rookie season that he will almost certainly be part of the major league team moving forward. As if this wasn’t a problem enough already for Rosario, another player will pose another challenge in the coming years.

The team’s current number two prospect is a shortstop by the name of Ronny Mauricio. Mauricio, who is 19 years old, is expected to arrive in 2022.

The Mets will have a lot happening with just Giménez and Mauricio, but Giménez’s versatility (he can also play at second and third base very well) allows an issue to be avoided and is just another factor that makes him more valuable than Rosario.

Adding Rosario to that mix of players complicates matters further, and it might be in the best interest of the team to move him, especially while he still has some value.

I recently wrote about potential landing spots for Brandon Nimmo should the Mets decide to move him.

I’ll now dive into prospective destinations for Rosario next season.