Resurfaced NY Mets trade idea looks enticing 3 years later

Baseball’s prime trading season is upon us, meaning the current iteration of the New York Mets is intent on being avid buyers at the Trade Deadline in supplementing their roster for a championship run. Whether it takes the form of a midseason blockbuster or a more marginal approach (the latter would probably make most Mets fans squirm), David Stearns & Co. have the fate of the 2025 campaign resting in their hands.

The nail-biting days and hours leading up to the deadline are amplified by the constant swirling of hypothetical trade blockbusters. Moves that would catapult a team to formidable favorites, or perhaps set a franchise back years to contend. In almost every instance, there is a judicious weighing between established talent and the gamble of prospect potential.

With that in mind, an old trade conception for a current Mets superstar seems like one many would make in a heartbeat.

An early “glimpse” of Juan Soto in the orange and blue

Just days after rejecting a massive 15-year, $440 million contract extension from the Washington Nationals, the rumor trading mill started to reach an all-out whirlwind ahead of the 2022 Trade Deadline regarding packages for Juan Soto and a new future home for MLB’s ascending slugger.

SNY’s Anthony McCarron conjured together a massive package of players and prospects, which included Jeff McNeil, Tylor Megill, Francisco Alvarez, and some combination of Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, and Mark Vientos in exchange for Juan Soto.

Once again, the theme resurfaces: would a front office go all-in on a hitting extraordinaire and budding superstar for a multitude of players, some with highly-regarded but unproven potential?

A look at the comments section, and one may be surprised by how many vetoed the proposed package. Of course, at the time of Jeff McNeil’s Silver Slugger season and Tylor Megill’s early signs of brilliance, Mets fans already grew an attachment to the 2022 Queens starters that displayed convincing signs of being locks on the roster for the years to follow. All in all, the notion was clear: sacrificing the farm system for one hitter was too large a gamble.

Another contingent of fans even went as far as downplaying the plethora of players the Mets would be shipping to Washington, saying the Nationals would be vastly underwhelmed by the offer (let alone pull the trigger on sending their superstar to a division rival that would only torment the franchise for years to follow). Some even had their questions about the intrigue of Francisco Alvarez, given how fickle catching prospects can be.

The benefit of hindsight… or foresight

Take one more glance at the trade rooted in fantasy and drawing reaction, perhaps the Mets would have gained the upper hand in the transaction. Although the Amazins would have essentially given up their entire current everyday lineup for one top-of-the-order premier hitter, the shared sample size among Alvarez, Vientos, Mauricio, and Baty appears small in contrast to the growing list of individual accomplishments and raw talent in Soto. Additionally, Megill has failed to provide a sustained stretch of success and stay injury-free as a member of the starting rotation. The primary drawback would be the loss of McNeil’s sure-handed bat and defensive versatility.

If you’re a believer of alternate realities, imagine if this conceived trade idea came to fruition. An intra-division blockbuster would defy all logic in the realm of franchise sports business. Some variation of the floated names would replace the current haul of Nationals’ young players, all playing with a chip on their shoulder. One could only imagine the ripple effects sent across Major League Baseball for years to come.