Proposed NY Mets-Yankees trade by WFAN host is more risk for David Stearns than Brian Cashman

There isn’t a shortage of former New York Yankees on the New York Mets roster. The latest, Clay Holmes, will get an opportunity to start with the Mets in 2025 after a year which saw him lose the closer’s role in the Bronx.

WFAN afternoon host Evan Roberts shared a trade idea on his Friday show to make between the Mets and Yankees. Surfacing from a group chat among mostly Mets fans with a few Yankees loyalists added in for good measure, the proposal was broadcasted as a fair one for both ball clubs.

The Mets send the Yankees Brett Baty. Going the other way, Nestor Cortes joins the Mets.

What to like about this Mets-Yankees trade

Getting anything of substance in return for Baty feels like a win. A starting pitcher like Cortes fails to shake anyone’s foundation. However, as a pitcher in the final year of arbitration eligibility and not one that’ll be too costly for the payroll, he seems to fit the theme of what David Stearns is doing with the rotation this season.

One year of Cortes, who in 2022 made a statement by being one of the league’s surprising All-Stars, wouldn’t be such a bad direction to go to finish off the Mets rotation. He’s coming off of a healthy season with a 9-10 record and 3.77 ERA. He’d be a direct replacement for Jose Quintana whose up-and-down season yielded similar overall results.

What to dislike about this Mets-Yankees trade

The bugaboo here is Baty was a top 100 MLB prospect not all that long ago. His struggles in 2023 and 2024 have soured many of us on believing he’ll ever be much of anything at the major league level. At best, he seems to profile as a part-time player if not a bench piece altogether. A freshly turned 25, he has been good enough in Triple-A to believe he’ll eventually figure it out. The problem is the Mets aren’t in a position to help guide him along much longer. One remaining minor league option means if they aren’t committed to him by the end of 2025, they’ll have to DFA him.

What’s more, one could argue the Mets are better off adding a controllable reliever in exchange for Baty. A reliever of lesser talent than Cortes but with an extra year to blossom with the Mets might be more tempting. It’s a matter of preference.

The debate on the WFAN afternoon show led to further debate. Shaun Morash, a Yankees fan, agreed to the deal if Dedniel Nunez was included. Tommy Lugauer, representing the Mets from the other side of the glass, conceited he’d do the deal if it was Reed Garrett instead of Nunez.

Both players seem movable by their respective teams. From one borough the other? Stearns has been willing to absorb financial risk. Does he finally swap a once promising prospect like Baty for a rental starting pitcher with the other team in the city? It’s the kind of trade a baseball executive could be remembered most for.