Baseball America prematurely puts rising NY Mets prospect as an upcoming trade chip

Who knows more about MLB prospects than Baseball America? A trusted source for decades on youngsters, they went out of their way to enrage some New York Mets fans by piecing together a prospect from every organization who could be a trade target. The Mets are certainly not above trading away minor leaguers. What they won’t do is sell prematurely on a guy who seems ready to jump up to top 100 status for anything short of a World Series guarantee.

The selection for the Mets prospect who could become a target was Elian Pena. A little over a year after paying him $5 million as a signing bonus, he is tabbed to generate trade interest. While not preposterous for others to have interest, the 18-year-old infielder has the potential to be one of the best prospects in the game after finishing strong in the DOSL last season. Why on earth would the Mets even consider trading such a franchise-altering player?

There are only a small number of players the Mets could ever even think about trading Elian Pena for

Hypothetically, if the Detroit Tigers fall out of the pennant race and are trade deadline sellers, do you swap Pena for Tarik Skubal? One for one, you might have to think about it. Yes, Skubal is only a rental. But if he’s having the same kind of year he has had over the last two seasons, it becomes a serious consideration.

We’re a long way from a Pena for Skubal swap and that would come with its own risk for both teams. One player, years away from the majors, for your stud ace even for two months doesn’t necessarily feel good for a Tigers fan. From a Mets perspective, you’d probably prefer a package of prospects who’ve already shown what their upside looks like.

Pena batted .292/.421/.528 in 221 plate appearances last year. He hit 9 home runs, stole 21 bases, and had an equal 36 walks and strikeouts. Everything about the results scream that he’ll end up being one of the best prospects in baseball.

Seeing Pena’s name appear alongside guys like Druw Jones and Homer Bush Jr. who are a few years older and more stable than on the rise as prospects seems almost disrespectful to Pena.

Inquiries are sure to come in and with the addition of Wandy Asigen this offseason, the Mets don’t need to build their farm system around Pena becoming a star. Pena has a MLB ETA of 2030 which happens to come in Francisco Lindor’s penultimate season under his current contract. The timing couldn’t be more perfect.

You can bet Pena’s name will come up in mock trades for players like Skubal, Paul Skenes, and other stars. Seeing how the Mets have operated under David Stearns and the fact that he was the one who signed Pena, we should have our doubts Pena represents any other organization anytime soon.