Squelching 3 Mets trade ideas before they gain any traction at the Winter Meetings

The MLB Winter Meetings this week will spawn plenty of speculation. Social media will be filled with one-sided trades built by fans. New York Mets fans can prepare for an onslaught of seeing the name Justin Jarvis going in the other direction. Yeah. That’s going to get it done.

Rather than mention why the Mets won’t trade for commonly discussed names like Corbin Burnes, Juan Soto, or anyone else they should be open to adding, let’s limit this list to three newer names who've been mentioned in the rumor mill.

Let’s squelch these three others who may not be available before they gain any sort of traction at the Winter Meetings.

1) The Mets aren’t trading for Alex Bregman

In fairness, the idea of the Mets trading for Alex Bregman is intriguing. A star third baseman who can do a little bit of everything well, Bregman could be an option for the Mets midseason if a couple of amazing things happen. One needs to involve the Mets remaining in the market for a third baseman. The other is the Houston Astros have to fall out of the pennant race. Some of the current Mets hadn’t even started puberty the last time they were irrelevant.

The Bregman trade rumors do seem like they’ll be discussed more so in theory at this year’s Winter Meetings and beyond. The Astros may be willing to move on from him. However, trading him in an offseason without a whole lot of good third base options seems like a step in the wrong direction for a franchise that works far more intelligently.

Bregman to the Mets next offseason in free agency? Maybe we can discuss it then. At the moment, he’s not the guy for them. A big payroll hit and some lesser seasons on the ledger recently make him an easy pass as a rental when the cost is going to be far too great.

2) The Mets aren’t trading for Emmanuel Clase

Emmanuel Clase may now be available; at least according to some of the latest MLB rumors. Needless to say, the dream of Clase pitching in the same bullpen as Edwin Diaz has gotten Mets fans scrambling to make mock trades to try figuring out what it will take to land the star closer.

Clase has a career 2.00 ERA through 238.1 innings as a big leaguer. This is not a drill. Having led the majors in saves in back-to-back seasons now, his availability would shake up some team’s relief corps in the best way possible. Don’t set your heart on it being the Mets.

Clase is already extended through 2026 with team options in 2027 and 2028. He’s affordable financially for anyone with a payroll hit of just $2.9 million this coming year. The Cleveland Guardians are in the driver’s seat here. Any team desperate for a closer, including the Texas Rangers who traded him to Cleveland once upon a time, are in the mix. Not the Mets. They already have their ninth inning man.

The probability of Clase even getting dealt feels less so because of how inexpensive he is for what he can do. He’d cost the Mets at least a top three prospect plus some MLB-ready pieces who remain on rookie deals. It’s a ton to give up for a guy who wouldn’t even get to do what he does best on the Mets, finish games. 

Squelch this trade. It’s not happening with the Mets.