Beat writer Anthony DiComo has 4 trades for 4 reporters Mets fans should all say “yes” to
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Anthony DiComo knows the New York Mets pretty well. He covers them for MLB.com and has a nice feel of exactly what they need.
In one of his recent stories, he came up with four trades for the Mets to make before the MLB trade deadline passes. Frankly, it’s hard to not say “yes” to any of them.
DiComo proposed these four trades to different beat writers of—take a guess-four different teams! The goal was clearly to have the prospects to get them all done without repeating. In the end, he was able to actually get two of them completed with minor changes.
1) NY Mets trade Calvin Ziegler and Joel Diaz for Willson Contreras
DiComo tried to include David Robertson in this deal. However, the Cubs beat writer balked at the idea. They would have had to include more and because this project is about making four big blockbuster trades, there wasn’t as much wiggle room to tack on a few more players.
Ziegler and Diaz for Contreras isn’t all that bad if paired with some other big moves. By itself, as the lone final trade deadline deal for the Mets, it might feel a little too much overpay for a rental.
Ziegler and Diaz are each expendable and a little too far down on the list of Mets prospects for them to hold onto. The greatest asset the Mets have is Steve Cohen’s wallet. If they suddenly stop producing high-level pitching prospects, they can buy some arms.
This is probably a wise trade to make even if the plan would be for Contreras to DH often. The problem with any deal for a catcher is what the Mets do behind the plate specifically. It’s not discussed what happens to Tomas Nido. Maybe he ends up DFA’d or in a more minor trade elsewhere.
2) NY Mets trade Dominic Smith, Jose Peroza, and cash for J.D. Martinez
DiComo tried to make this another pairing by including catcher Christian Vazquez. It works out well, though. In this hypothetical world, we already have Contreras behind the plate added to the club.
Jose Peroza is a prospect that hardly registers in the minds of Mets fans. He is a lower level one who may be a year or two away from being someone we start paying closer attention to.
Smith, meanwhile, is someone we all know well. It feels like a no-brainer to deal him for just about anyone right now. In this trade, the Mets are essentially giving up a major leaguer with no real purpose on the roster, a prospect, and some money for a chance to add a veteran right-handed bat. Although J.D. Martinez has a back that belongs on someone in their 50s, it’s not such an outrageous deal for the Mets to complete.
The one negative would be that it might be the only major bat they can add. Without spoiling the rest of the trades, DiComo failed to get any other transactions done. The Mets head out of this fictional MLB trade deadline with Contreras and Martinez added to the roster and very little pulled away from the farm system.
Before we go, let’s see how DiComo tried to add a few other pieces.
3) NY Mets trade for Juan Soto is dead
DiComo offered the Nationals reported Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Matt Allan, and Alex Ramirez for Juan Soto. That isn’t going to get it done. You need to include at least one more high-level prospect plus a lesser one either with a high ceiling or close to the major leagues. The Nationals might even want David Peterson or Tylor Megill in the deal, too.
This was what Jessica Camerato, the Nationals reporter DiComo proposed this deal to, pretty much had to say as well. She was looking for some more MLB-ready players to be included in this strong haul of prospects.
That deal didn’t get done. Neither did this final one.
4) NY Mets trade for Gregory Soto and Joe Jimenez isn’t enough
DiComo absolutely low-balled here by offering only Tylor Megill for Gregory Soto and Joe Jimenez. Do we need to say anything more? That’s a clear underpay even from the most basic sense of 2-for-1.
He did try to later include Ronny Mauricio or Mark Vientos which some Mets fans might think is both too much and enough to get it done. The Detroit Tigers reporter he checked in with passed on the offer.
We did get a little more insight into what the Cubs and Red Sox might want from the Mets. Maybe one or two of those spare parts from the deals that failed could help them get Robertson. Too bad it’s all just hypothetical.
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