MLB rumors: A sneaky Brett Baty trade destination, 2 targets for the NY Mets

Brett Baty was once one of the best prospects in all of baseball. The New York Mets infielder was a consensus top 40 prospect heading into the 2023 season, ranking as high as the 17th best prospect in baseball by Baseball Prospectus. But he has floundered in the Big Leagues. Baty has 602 plate appearances, and has batted a meager .215/.282/.325 with a .270 wOBA, and 72 wRC+. It also doesn’t help Baty has -9 defensive runs saved and -3 outs above average at the hot corner.

Since the start of Baty’s struggles, Mark Vientos has become the Mets’ answer at third base, especially given his 2024 breakout. The Mets should try and get whatever they can out of Baty now. Sure, it’s selling low, but Baty’s value may only dip further. But one team that could definitely use some help at the infield corners is the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cardinals likely will not re-sign former MVP first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, and it seems even more likely that former all-star third baseman Nolan Arenado will be pushed out the door in a trade. That gives them an opportunity for playing time for Brett Baty, and there certainly is potential for a trade to work between the two teams. So, let’s take a look at two mock trade proposals that make too much sense for the Mets and Cards not to explore.

Mets acquire: Matthew Liberatore
Cardinals acquire: Brett Baty

Like Baty, Matthew Liberatore is a former top prospect who has yet to find his footing in the Major Leagues. The Southpaw was a consensus top 100 prospect as late as 2022 and was the 79th best prospect in baseball by Baseball America in 2023. A former first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays, Liberatore hasn’t lived up to the potential of being both a first-rounder and a top-100 prospect.

Liberatore has pitched 182.1 innings in the Bigs with a 4.99 ERA, 4.34 FIP, and 1.43 WHIP. He has struck out just 18.9% of opponents with an unimpressive 8.9% walk rate. Libreratore has held opponents to an 8% barrel rate and 1.04 HR/9. While it hasn’t been a pretty ride for Liberatore, he is coming off his best season yet.

The lefty worked as a swingman-type arm, starting six of his 60 appearances and pitching 80 innings. He managed to put up a 4.40 ERA, 4.11 FIP, and 1.27 WHIP. Liberatore’s 21.2% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate were both career-bests, and his HR/9 of 1.15 was only slightly worse than the league average. His 7.1% barrel rate was also in the 63rd percentile of pitchers. Liberatore’s Stuff+ also saw a huge uptick, going from just 86 to 98.

Liberatore is nearly the same age as Baty, as they were born just a week apart from each other. Liberatore has one minor league option remaining, as does Baty. The Mets also need some left-handed relief depth, given that Danny Young is the only LHRP on their 40-man roster. The two are in similar circumstances, given their former prospect status and struggles in the Major Leagues, which makes this a potentially great trade, at least on paper.

Mets acquire: JoJo Romero
Cardinals acquire: Brett Baty and a lower-level prospect

Another left-handed reliever the Cardinals may be willing to move is JoJo Romero. Romero is coming off a season where he had a 3.36 ERA, 4.27 FIP, and 1.15 WHIP across 59 innings pitched. Romero’s 21% strikeout rate and 1.22 HR/9 rate were both slightly worse than the league average. But he was great at limiting walks. His 6.6% walk rate was the 11th lowest among all lefty bullpen arms (min. 50 IP). But Romero struggled to limit hard contact, as he was in the 21st percentile of exit velocity (89.9 MPH) and 7th percentile of barrel rate (10.5%).

While Romero’s numbers might be solid on the surface, he comes with his own set of red flags. Many of his peripherals were a lot better in 2023. He had a 28.6% K% and 0.25 HR/9 rate. Romero was a whole lot better at limiting hard contact as well. During the 2023 season, he held opponents to just an 87.6 MPH exit velocity and a microscopic 2.1% barrel rate. Romero had a sub-3.00 xFIP and SIERA, sitting at 2.68 and 2.76 each, respectively. It was in a smaller sample size of 36.2 IP, but it is still worth noting.

The only numbers on his resume that did not see a noticeable change between 2023 and 2024 are his ERA (3.68 in ‘23) and his walk rate (6.8% in ‘23). Stuff+ has never put Romero in high regard, either. This past season, he was at 86 compared to 84 in 2023. But the Mets may need to include something else alongside Baty to get the trade over the finish line.

Romero’s bottom line is still solid, and he comes with two years of control left. A lower-level prospect will likely be enough to make it worth the Cardinals’ time without the Mets having to fork over a ton. A recent international signee or a former high school draft pick like Calvin Ziegler will do in a trade like this.