Mets Scapegoats: 1 player to release, 1 to trade for pennies, 1 to keep around

NY Mets scapegoat to keep around: Starling Marte

Starling Marte is the Mets scapegoat to keep. He has been incredibly frustrating. And while there could be a market for him, like the proposed trade which would send him to the New York Yankees for Estevan Florial, Marte still does some things well enough to not give up just yet.

Marte’s speed is there and we may not see it fully disappear through the end of his contract because of MLB rule changes which should keep his stolen base totals high. If Marte truly is on as much of a decline as it looks, it’s understandable why some may choose to get rid of him ASAP.

Marte does bring something to the table if all he becomes is a singles hitter with speed. The difficulty here is the Mets have a whole lot of players fitting this description with Marte’s distinction being his base-running abilities.

Flashes of his former self are still present and as “in the red” as his year has been, trading Marte for a lesser player and likely eating a part of his salary feels anti-Steve Cohen. Perhaps an eventual move to the ninth spot in the order is where Marte eventually lands as youngsters like Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty prove themselves to be more reliable. For now, Marte is worth keeping around.