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4 Mets prospects to take off the table in a potential Shohei Ohtani trade
Where do the New York Mets draw the line when it comes to renting Shohei Ohtani? Mixed reports of the Los Angeles Angels being willing to trade him this summer if the club falls out of the race have already created an early stir as to where he’ll end up. We can expect Mets rumors involving an Ohtani trade and even more once he gets to free agency.
Many Mets fans will already say it’s not worth trading for Ohtani just to rent him for a few months. Understandable as that is, the Mets shouldn’t throw away a chance at a 2023 championship if he’s the missing piece. Even if all he did was become the club’s new DH and never stepped on the mound, Ohtani could give the Mets a massive boost of power.
When it comes to assembling a trade package for Ohtani, there are certain prospects who should remain off-limits. For the Mets, these four are non-starters.
1) NY Mets prospect Francisco Alvarez is off-limits in a Shohei Ohtani trade
Fortunately, the Angels do have Logan O’Hoppe. He’s their young catching prospect acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies last year. They don’t have any real need to go after another catcher in a trade. Alvarez could always become a DH for them. After all, the second Ohtani is gone, a spot opens up.
It’s hard to fathom any reasonable trade package that would make sense for the Mets at this point to give up on Alvarez. Last summer when Juan Soto was on the block it might not have been as outrageous. You’d get Soto for a couple more seasons. With the benefit of hindsight and seeing how poorly Soto has performed with the San Diego Padres, Mets fans and the front office may have some doubts about ever giving up all that much for even a superstar.
Exactly what the Mets have planned for Alvarez is a little unknown. They have catching prospect Kevin Parada as somewhat of a safety net if his defense doesn’t meet their needs. Alvarez could always become more of a DH anyway with the occasional start behind the plate. We’ll have to see.
In the meantime, the Mets seem likely to hold onto Alvarez. Trading him for a few months of Ohtani would go against their modus operandi.
2) NY Mets prospect Brett Baty is off-limits in a Shohei Ohtani trade
Brett Baty is a far more flexible defensive player the Angels might have some interest in. Even with Anthony Rendon on their roster, Baty has shown in the minor leagues how he can become a left fielder. It may still be where he ends up with the Mets.
The need to keep Baty is pretty clear. He has torn up minor league pitching. Many are convinced it’s only a matter of time before he does it in the majors on a consistent basis. Perhaps the shallowest position of all within their entire franchise is at third base. With Eduardo Escobar already losing playing time this season and Mark Vientos not appearing to be a good enough defender at the position, holding onto Baty is pretty important.
The Eppler-led Mets have been careful with all of these position player prospects. There have been opportunities to trade several of them. Baty became the talk of Mets rumors when it looked like the club was going to sign Carlos Correa.
When it comes to a trade for Ohtani, the Angels need to make sure they get something pretty remarkable back in return. The problem with trading Baty is it could create a whole new hole in the lineup the team is unable to fill. Baty’s arrival to the major league roster should safeguard him against any in-season trades right now. The offseason could be a different story.
3) NY Mets prospect Kevin Parada is off-limits in a trade for Shohei Ohtani
It will be a few years before we see Kevin Parada in the major leagues. Trading him for a guy with a bit more control than what Ohtani will have this summer isn’t insane. If Ohtani wasn’t about to hit free agency this winter, the circumstances would change a lot.
The same rules apply here as they do for Alvarez. The Angels probably wouldn’t even want Parada. Another catcher to fight for playing time alongside O’Hoppe, it starts to get redundant to have more than one promising young backstop within your organization.
The Mets may eventually need to decide between Alvarez and Parada. This becomes especially true if Ohtani ends up signing with the Mets in the offseason. Ohtani would occupy the DH spot most of the time. Alvarez and Parada on the same major league roster doesn’t make as much sense if both are going to reach their full potential.
Parada isn’t completely untouchable in trade negotiations. It just seems like a quick rush to send him packing when the Mets remain unsure of their backstop situation. Plus, with the Angels having less of a need for a catcher already they’d be likely to ask for even more alongside him.
Mets fans eager to see Parada on the major league roster one day don’t need to worry. He’s not a fit in a potential Ohtani trade.
4) NY Mets prospect Alex Ramirez is off-limits in a trade for Shohei Ohtani
Here’s where the line is drawn. If we’re going off of the MLB.com list of top prospects, Alex Ramirez is the last the Mets need to hold onto. Everyone else is fair game when it comes to an Ohtani trade. They have to give up something good to get him. The Angels can have their pick from the rest.
Holding onto Ramirez seems abundantly important for the Mets who have some seriously shallow minor league outfielders. This has been the case for several years. And while it isn’t causing too many problems now, they don’t want to have to reach into free agency every single offseason for a new addition.
Ramirez has the tools to become a future MLB center fielder just in time for when we’d expect Brandon Nimmo to maybe lose a few steps. Even if it’s not center field where he plays, this 20-year-old seems like he could be pretty special.
At the risk of potentially trading away the next young outfield superstar, the Mets are better off putting together a package of different players to headline a deal with the Angels for Ohtani. Jett Williams and Ronny Mauricio can go. Give them Mark Vientos and/or Blade Tidwell.
The top-heavy Mets farm system is something the front office should continue to be careful with. They’ve balked at previous deals for these young players. There is no need to change direction.
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