Starling Marte is the next player the Mets could pay to play somewhere else

What the New York Mets did at this year’s trade deadline is unprecedented. The money they’ll continue to pay Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander is astonishing, all for the sake of acquiring better prospects in the trades which sent them both to The Lone Star State.

Could they do something like this again in the offseason? If Steve Cohen is open to it, there’s one more player who fits this description.

Starling Marte has spent a good chunk of time on the IL this year. He's back on it again now. The injury at the end of 2022 and offseason surgery have all compiled into some warning signs. The Mets could retain Marte and try to squeeze a little more out of him. With the consideration that their main goal is to compete in 2025 more so than 2024, moving Marte in a similar type of trade is an offseason move to make.

Starling Marte is the last remaining NY Mets player they can trade while paying out a large portion of his contract

Marte is an unappealing trade candidate on the Mets roster and not going to bring in anything close to the kind of prospects they received for Scherzer or Verlander. Unless the Mets continue to pay him, he’s immovable at this stage. Someone would undoubtedly take a chance on Marte if Cohen writes the checks.

The offseason isn’t the only time to do this. The Mets shouldn’t be in any rush to send Marte packing for a weak return. Next year’s trade deadline could make more sense. Marte can earn back a little more credibility by then. And if he doesn’t, not much changes from the way things are at the moment. His value can't go much lower.

For better or worse, the Mets are stuck with Marte. The better side is this year’s performance was due to Marte playing through injury and the recent migraine issue. He might not have another All-Star year like he did in 2022, but something in between is acceptable.

The worst side is Marte continues to slide downward. An expensive singles hitter with poor defense doesn’t fit in well with any ball club. It could be where he’s officially at next year when he plays in his age 35 season. In which case, trading him for anything at all would be a wise move.

All of this sounds so unattractive. Marte has yet to meet the value of his contract. A strong finish can at least change the narrative somewhat and attract a team in need of some outfield help. As poorly as he has played for the Mets, he’d be a corner outfield upgrade for many ball clubs.

The Mets have a decision to make. Many of them, in fact. Marte doesn’t fit in with the projected timeline of the ball club. But selling him low isn’t the best thing to do either.