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If there is one thing that is expected from the Pittsburgh Pirates this off-season, it is trading outfielder Starling Marte. The first rumor has surfaced regarding the all-star outfielder.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have a new General Manager in place and if anything it could lead to quite a few trade possibilities. Ben Cherington is in an interesting spot with some of the players on the roster and it will be interesting to see who and how much he decides to trade.
One thing that was always certain was that star outfielder Starling Marte would likely be dealt this offseason. Even under former General Manager Neal Huntington it seemed likely. The centerfield market is the weakest position this free agency and any team looking to upgrade would have to find an upgrade on the trade market. Insert Starling Marte, who is a proven all-around veteran player on a very affordable contract (two option years at a total of $23 million).
Meanwhile, for a Pittsburgh Pirates organization that is transitioning it would make sense to get rid of an aging player. First off, he would bring back a really good package. Secondly, he does not fit into this team’s projected window of competing. The team has a lot of younger players on it and likely will need another season or two before they really start competing.
With that, the first legitimate rumor surfaced last night in regards to Marte, and it also came from one of the best insiders in baseball. Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported that the Mets are very much so interested in the Pittsburgh Pirates centerfielder, he tweeted:
Mets have interest in Starling Marte. Fits what they seek — strong defender in CF, righthanded hitter. Pirates still working on manager. Uncertain if he’ll be dealt. Cubs, Reds, Padres among others who will look at center fielders.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 23, 2019
The Mets have plenty of interesting prospects that they could offer back. Two of their top three prospects are shortstops, which is always a valuable position to acquire. They also have several pitching prospects to offer up.
The Mets seem like they are in a win-now mode. They made a splashy manager hire in Carlos Beltran, and made a big acquisition at the deadline for Marcus Stroman. They very well could get aggressive and give up a strong package of prospects to acquire a legitimate centerfielder. Although, it is still early in the offseason and there likely will be a few more teams to show interest before it is all said and done.