Mets rumors: Brett Baty trade interest was "significant" at the deadline

After catching up on sleep, Jon Heyman put together a column related to the MLB Trade Deadline. Tax Day is to CPAs what the MLB Trade Deadline is to MLB Insiders. Heyman had a few things to say about some of the New York Mets rumors. Most notable was the team fielding “significant” interest in trades with other teams involving Brett Baty.

The team wasn’t willing to budge on any of their top prospects and understandably so. We can’t fault them for that. The farm system did hit a hitch in the road this year. A lot of players have either been injured or underperformed. There hasn’t been that one surprise riser. Brandon Sproat was already a big piece for them even before his explosive 2024 campaign began.

Refusing to trade Baty is a bit curious if the interest was as significant as Heyman notes. No specific Mets rumors ever came out about teams who were interested or what they thought the cost might be. Keeping their cards close to the vest throughout, Baty was only ever mentioned in hypotheticals. A young and controllable player who not long ago was a top MLB prospect ranking in the 20s on some lists, the refusal to trade him now might simply be a protection plan.

Mets rumors of interest in a Brett Baty trade will come back if Pete Alonso stays

Baty is a bit of security against the loss of Pete Alonso in free agency. The next move for the Mets would be to slide Mark Vientos across the diamond to first base. Third base then opens up and Baty would be in line for yet another opportunity. The originally planned competition that would also involve Ronny Mauricio could then unfold.

Players like Baty still have value on the trade market. In fact, ready-to-win ball clubs should prefer them over lower level prospects who might never see the major league lights. Baty looked like a major league third baseman. It’s his bat, surprisingly, that failed to hold up this season.

Baty’s future with the Mets could quickly change if Alonso does stay put. They don’t need to urgently trade him, though. With Vientos also a solid candidate to be a regular at the DH spot, having someone who can play third base well and hit from the other side of the plate has its benefits. The Mets only begin to run into trouble when Baty (who turns 25 this November) loses his final minor league option and hits arbitration eligibility. He’ll still have an option next season and won’t start to make his millions through arbitration until 2026.

The Mets played the deadline with caution in every way possible. This includes Baty, a third baseman who has yet to prove he is a full-time major leaguer.