A well valued Mets-Mariners trade idea to put a big red X through

Offseason trade ideas will make their most triumphant comeback after the World Series. An early preview of what we can see this winter came from Joe Doyle who put together a very simple one-for-one swap between the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners.

It’s amazing how a couple hundred at-bats can change things. Ask this question before the 2024 season, it’s a resounding “yes” of Daniel Bryan proportions. Today, trading Mark Vientos for Luis Castillo, doesn’t seem so wise.

Why this trade doesn’t work for the Mets

On behalf of the Mets side of the argument of answering the question proposed by Doyle of who’d say “no,” we can first look at what Vientos means to the team. Now injected into the middle of the order on a regular basis, he is their best option for third base next year. Affordable, under team control, and hitting incredibly well with some of the best power we’ve seen in a long time on this roster, he is without a doubt someone who’ll be an impactful player again in next year’s plans.

In fact, Vientos is a perfect backup plan at first base if Pete Alonso leaves. He could even be someone who gets significant time as the DH, too. Three spots where he can start or alternate through, a base of the argument to keep him around comes from what he has done this year and all of the different roles he can take on next season.

Although money isn’t an issue for the Mets, it is always noteworthy in any conversation when it comes to roster building. Vientos won’t even be arbitration eligible until the 2027 season. This gives them the payroll wiggle room to spend elsewhere like re-signing Alonso or doing what most Mets fans would rather they do instead, simply sign a free agent starting pitcher.

Luis Castillo alternatives are abundantly available

Castillo is already 31, turning 32 just a day after Vientos celebrates his 25th birthday this December. On the IL right now after another strong season where he was 11-12 with a 3.64 ERA, Castillo has continued to cement himself as one of the most reliable starters in MLB. His potential was always a talking point for Castillo who has been traded five times already in his career. Most peculiar was getting traded by the Miami Marlins on July 2016 to the San Diego Padres then back to Miami two days later when Colin Rea, one of the players in the original deal, suffered an injury in his first start.

Not necessarily an old pitcher but no rugrat either, Castillo does have a rather hefty salary over the next few seasons. He’ll take home $24.15 million in each of the next three seasons with a vesting option in 2028. It’s not a ridiculous salary for someone of his ability. However, the Mets would probably prefer to have someone younger even at a more inflated price. Add in that they can keep Vientos as well, very little suggests this would be a good trade for the Mets to make in any capacity.

After the 2024 season which saw the Mets get so much out of Sean Manaea and Luis Severino, trust in the front office to repeat their success with someone else isn’t crazy. The Mets will need to rebuild a large part of their starting pitching staff. As alluring as trades can be, this is one to leave on the table.