If NY Mets-Padres trade talks about Luis Arraez intensify, bring up this name too

New York Mets rumors of interest in Luis Arraez weren’t so much dissatisfying as much as they were a surprise. He’s a good player and could definitely make the Mets better as long as they added a second slugger to the roster. Arraez shouldn’t be the lone addition to a lineup already containing Jeff McNeil and Starling Marte. Barns in Lancaster, Pennsylvania would have more power.

Money is a strong motivator and the need for the San Diego Padres to lower their payroll should have them pushing at least one of their higher-priced players out the door. There hasn’t been much thought of them shopping a player such as Fernando Tatis Jr. Dylan Cease seems to be the other commonly mentioned name alongside Arraez.

Things might have turned a little bit yesterday. Arbitration eligible players had a deadline on Thursday to come to an agreement with their teams. While this isn’t a hard deadline and teams can come to terms with players to avoid arbitration, we do see one of a small number of players around the league who failed to come to an agreement reside on the Padres roster. A stud who bloomed on the mound last season, Michael King is on the verge of being a disgruntled Padres player they might want to consider trading now before he flees in the offseason out of spite.

The only way the Mets trade anything of value to the Padres for Luis Arraez should be if they can get a guy like Michael King paired with him

The Mets have enough ex-New York Yankees on their roster already. What’s the harm in adding one more? Bringing in one of the better players traded in the Juan Soto deal last winter would be a victory worthy of tugging on your suspenders in a gloating fashion whenever in conversation with a Yankees fan. For those who don’t wear suspenders, just saying “na-na na-na boo boo” should suffice.

King hits free agency after this year and looks like he’s on the verge of being the latest ex-reliever about to challenge for a Cy Young. He finished seventh in the vote last year, going 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA in 30 starts and a relief appearance for the Padres. Always a guy with nasty stuff and terrific numbers whether he was starting or coming out of the bullpen for the Yankees, he was very much like their Seth Lugo who never got enough of an opportunity. It might be worse because Lugo at least had a chance early on to start and struggle. King didn’t have the same leash.

Arraez to the Mets only works if the cost is so light we barely feel it. It’s a salary dump. King, on the other hand, would require some prospect capital on our part. As a rental, he shouldn’t cost a king’s ransom despite the suggestion by his name. If we all followed the path of our names to a literal sense, Cease would stop doing everything. Something valuable but not heartbreaking for the Mets farm system is a fair enough assessment for a guy with a ton of talent but only one year of control.

You don’t intentionally go around making moves just to rub it in the Yankees’ faces. That’s purely a bonus.

Things may end up copacetic between the Padres and King. Or maybe not. His salary this year won’t be extraordinary with the two sides already exchanging figures. King wanted $8.8 million and the team failed for $7.325 million.

If it helps increase the return in a trade also involving Arraez and awards them with something before he dashes next offseason, it’s something for the Padres to consider. Use the Mets and their financial might. We won’t mind.