A different kind of NY Mets-Padres trade that makes sense

A lot of the conversation about a potential New York Mets trade with the San Diego Padres has turned its eye on what it would cost to land Michael King. Fair enough. The purse strings are tightening on the Padres and finding any way to relieve themselves of significant salary has become the priority. They’ve let every free agent of theirs leave, except catcher Elias Diaz, while avoiding any major additions.

The Mets are always the natural trade partner for a team looking to shed some salary given the riches of Steve Cohen. Beyond just a salary dump type of deal, the two sides might make sense to make a trade of a whole different variety.

No joke, the Padres could actually use a player like Starling Marte on their roster

Losing Jurickson Profar to the Atlanta Braves opens up left field. Some combination of Brandon Lockridge, Tirso Ornelas, Tyler Wade, or Mike Brosseau (who spent a part of last year in Syracuse for the Mets) is all they really have. FanGraphs has Eguy Rosario listed as their DH. He’s a 5’7 150lb infielder with Triple-A pop but not much in the major leagues thus far.

You can already see where this is headed. The Padres have only a hope and a prayer at two spots where Marte could fit in. In the outfield or as a DH, there’s a spot for him.

San Diego wasn’t a strong base stealing club last year either. The 22 bases stolen by Ha-Seong Kim led the team. He’ll suit up for the Tampa Bay Rays. This leaves them with Jackson Merrill as the holdover with the most stolen bases last year, 16. Marte, for all of his shortcomings and about half a season missed, swiped just as many. In fact, he has been a prolific base stealer in New York over the past two years despite the offensive decline from 2022. He has successfully stolen 40 while getting caught just 5 times.

Finding a way to make a trade work is the tricky part. The Mets would need to eat as much of Marte’s salary as possible, if not all, in order for San Diego to have any kind of interest. What would the Mets get in return? Simply giving up King or Dylan Cease doesn’t quite work. This is a different kind of trade for the Mets. It opens up a roster spot currently held by a veteran with a far more limited role.

This might have the makings of a three-team deal or perhaps Marte paired with a prospect or two has enough intrigue for the Padres to cut a deal. San Diego isn’t about to punt their 2025 campaign despite the lack of additions.