MLB insider wants the NY Mets to pursue a Reid Detmers trade, there’s an obvious cost

The Athletic’s Tim Britton doesn’t believe the New York Mets need to keep it simple, fold up shop, and wait until after the season ends to start building something better. His latest pitch has them pursuing Los Angeles Angels pitcher Reid Detmers.

At 3-7 with a 4.05 ERA, one might scoff at the idea of placing Detmers on such a high pedestal. It’s the underlying numbers where you find gold.

Detmers has been unlucky, posting a 3.28 FIP. He doesn’t walk batters, strucks out a ton, and is controlled through the 2028 season. He’s a name we should expect to see plenty in the coming days whether linked to the Mets or anyone else. The big problem with a trade for him is there’s an obvious high cost to acquire him.

If the Mets want any shot at Reid Detmers, it starts with Francisco Alvarez

Apparently ready to pull the plug on Logan O’Hoppe, the Angels are interested in adding some young catching help. The Mets have a perfect candidate, Francisco Alvarez. An internal debate for the Mets front office to ponder and fans to throw fists about, he meets the criteria of handing to the Angels what they desire.

Detmers and Alvarez aren’t so different. Detmers has had ups and downs, the ups being far greater and maybe the downs, too. He had a 6.70 ERA in 2024.

No positions may have more value at the trade deadline and in the offseason than pitchers or catchers. With the latter, defense is a must and that’s where Alvarez has been weakest.

A one-for-one swap doesn’t work because of how much more weight Detmers carries on the trade market. That doesn’t mean all hope is lost for a trade. The bigger issue for the Mets is having enough other players to trade away.

The Mets do have some pitching. It would be premature to trade Jonathan Santucci. Is now the best time to trade Jonah Tong? I’d kind of rather see a fallback option of turning him into one of the league’s best relievers.

Players like Zac Thornton, maybe pitching above expectations, and Jack Wenninger are two others who could be of interest to the Angels. There are definitely position player prospects as well. Ryan Clifford feels like he’ll cap out as a low .200s hitter with power. Nick Morabito will only ever have a bench role on the Mets.

If Detmers is moved in the next week or offseason, Alvarez feels like the centerpiece of a trade. But it’ll probably take more. And the Angels may even prefer an even younger catcher with extra control and a better defensive profile. The Tampa Bay Rays have two of the top 10 catching prospects in the sport in their system.

A weak starting pitcher free agent class is the biggest Mets selling point as to why they might want to land a guy now rather than wait for a November frenzy before the CBA expires.

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