This latest Mets trade proposal from SNY should be laughed out of town

The time between the All-Star break and the trade deadline is the time of the year where pundits make some absurd trade deadline suggests. And New York Mets fans that follow the team on a daily basis will see such trade proposals, and one was handed down earlier this week.

Elise Menaker from SNY proposed that the Mets acquire All-Star closer David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for top prospect Kevin Parada. But this is a classic overreaction type of trade you would see from Jeff Wilpon's front office, not Steve Cohen's.

Under no circumstances should the New York Mets move their top prospect, Kevin Parada, for an All-Star closer, as there are better uses for him as a trade piece.

Let's think about both players in constructive, isolated terms for a brief second. David Bednar would be the perfect fit for the Mets as he'd instantly upgrade a bullpen desperate for another high-quality arm, as his stats this year have been ridiculous. He has a 1.27 ERA and 17 saves in 35.1 innings pitched. And that would allow David Robertson to be the setup man, the role he was originally supposed to play before Edwin Diaz got hurt in the World Baseball Classic.

Additionally, the emergence of Francisco Alvarez as a star catcher has made Parada (the No. 41 prospect in baseball on MLB Pipeline) an expendable trade chip, unless the Mets feel he could be utilized elsewhere on future Mets squads. And that's something the Mets should explore themselves.

We've seen with Jacob deGrom and David Wright over the past 20 years, just because you're drafted at the position doesn't mean you will be just that in the majors. Both deGrom and Wright were shortstops in high school, but neither one played those positions at length in the majors (though Wright did appeared in two games at shortstop in 2011-12). Wright became the greatest third baseman in team history, while deGrom became one of the greatest pitchers in franchise history.

Time will also tell about what happens with Colin Houck, the Mets' first round pick, also a high school shorstop, which is a healthy problem the Mets will run into while developing him. Joe DeMayo of SNY says that Houck may profile as a third-baseman thanks to his strong arm developed as a quarterback in high school, which would be another example if things worked out like that.

Elsewhere, Joey Votto, Paul Konerko, Jayson Werth, and Kenley Jansen were all catchers in high school before they became stars in other positions, so maybe Parada could be a first baseman if the Mets don't keep Pete Alonso around for the long-term.

However, a David Bednar for Kevin Parada swap would mean history repeating itself, as Mets fans have flashbacks to the infamous trade with the Mariners that sent Jarred Kelenic, Justin Dunn, and others to Seattle in exchange for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz.That trade gutted a promising farm system, even though Edwin Diaz has been dominant as a closer when healthy, and clogged the payroll for a player past his prime who got suspended for a full year and got cut the following year.

Kevin Parada should not be the package returned to Pittsburgh for a reliever who will throw only 60 innings per year. Instead, if the Mets are going to trade Parada in a trade, it has to be for an ace or a quality position player, not a reliever.

Besides, the Mets are seven games back in the Wild Card hunt in the National League.