Why David Robertson has less trade value than we realize

I should start this article off by saying that I'm not downplaying the value that current New York Mets closer David Robertson can provide for the Mets at the trade deadline. However, I don't believe that Robertson will bring back the enormous haul that Mets fans envision should they part with Robertson in a couple of weeks.

First and foremost, Robertson is a rental which limits the type of players that the Mets may receive back from another interested team. If the Mets paired Robertson with another controllable player or packaged him with another player such as Tommy Pham I could see the Mets receiving a solid return in terms of a prospect or prospects.

The Mets may be better served to package David Robertson to increase their potential return at the trade deadline

We have seen more often than not over the last few years, General Managers around the league prospect hugging and unwilling to part with top prospects unless there is a return of players that contain multiple years of control. There are controllable options on the Mets roster they could pair Robertson with if they want to increase their return, such as Starling Marte if they were to eat some of Marte's contract.

There may be other teams that may be willing to also put their top relievers out on the market over the coming weeks. Familiar names such as Josh Hader, Jordan Hicks, Alex Lange, Mark Leiter, and David Bednar, among others could provide competition for the Mets in regards to finding a solid return on investment on the trade market.

I believe the Kansas City Royals trading Aroldis Chapman far ahead of the deadline helped provide them a solid return, as they were able to get ahead of the market as well as provide the Texas Rangers with almost half of a season of Chapman's services.

I do believe at some point soon the Mets will have to make a determination on what their market status will be, and David Robertson may be one of their most appealing options to offer. I just don't believe the organization is going to receive what most Mets fans may be dreaming of in terms of the quality of prospects in return for a one-off trade.