Report: Pittsburgh Pirates & New York Mets Resume Starling Marte Trade Talks

Starling Marte trade talks may be starting to heat up once again

Before the off-season began had you asked me if Starling Marte would still be a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates on January 19th my answer would have been a resounding no. Yet, here we are, less than a month form pitchers and catchers reporting to Bradenton and Marte remains a Pirate.

Earlier this week I took a look at how Ben Cherington appears to be handling the Marte situation differently from how Neal Huntington handled trading Gerrit Cole. By doing this, Cherington is avoiding a major mistake that was made by his predecessor. Now, his patience could be paying off.

Marte trade rumors have swirled throughout the off-season. With these rumors multiple teams have been connected to the two-time Gold Glove winning and former All-Star outfielder. One of the teams that has been connected to Marte in these rumors most has been the New York Mets.

Now, according to Robert Murray, the Mets could be entering Marte trade talks once again.

As we have covered here at Rum Bunter throughout the off-season, the Mets make a lot of sense as a potential trade partner for the Pirates when it comes to Marte. The Pirates number one priority in any Marte trade is a young, highly rated catching prospect. The Mets have just that in Francisco Alvarez.

Additionally, the Mets could also include outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who would replace Marte in center field, as well as one of their young left-handed pitching prospects such as David Peterson or Kevin Smith in a potential Marte trade. Left-handed pitcher, like catcher, remains an organizational need for the Pirates.

One other curious note on Marte is him not being one of the players slated to appear at PirateFest this weekend. With Marte’s being the team’s most well known and popular player you would think the Pirates would want him to appear at the team’s pre-season fan fest. However, if Cherington and his staff believe a Marte trade could be on the horizon then it would make sense not to advertise him, just in case he is no longer a Pirate come Friday.