The good news is that Pete Alonso has officially been re-signed by the Mets following the Juan Soto trade. In A Significant Step That Reaffirms Their Commitment To Building A Championship—Caliber Term Reasonable Brett Baty’s trade destination with the NY Mets can provide exactly what we want for him.
Even if Brett Baty stays with the organization through the remainder of the season, spring training, and after the MLB Winter Meetings, trade rumors will still be running strong. The youthful third baseman for the New York Mets has been given the opportunity to start at the hot corner but has failed to do so for the past two years. It would appear that the only logical course of action would be to trade for more than only Juan Soto at number 22. However, Dominic Smith ended up not being tendered because we had the same feelings about him.
Baty might wind up in a number of different locations. The Kansas City Royals might be a reasonable choice. At the close of the previous season, this squad ultimately turned to Paul DeJong for third base assistance. There is space for the Royals to acquire Baty and have some competition because speedster Maikel Garcia is one of their top possibilities for 2025.
Moreover, the Royals possess precisely what the Mets should reasonably want in return for Brett Baty.
At this point, it seems like the Mets might get very little for Baty in a deal. Realistically speaking, the Mets would be better off getting some arms. The Royals have three lefties on the roster that may be useful in some capacity, which is convenient.
The youngest is Angel Zerpa, who will soon turn 25. He tossed 53.2 innings with a 3.86 ERA last season and is still a minor league option. The Mets would acquire a southpaw for the bullpen, whom they would have club control over until 2028, from a groundball pitcher who infected worm eaters at a rate of 58%.
Additionally, Daniel Lynch IV has one more choice. As a just turned 28-year-old who was a little older but still used to VCRs, he had his first season that was very outstanding in four attempts. During a year that saw a greater shift to a relief position, a 3.32 ERA in 43.1 innings appeared to pay dividends. Lynch, who currently has a career 4.91 ERA following a strong season, had previously started for the Royals but had not had the same favorable outcomes. Although he isn’t as interesting, it’s difficult to overlook a WHIP below 1.00 from the previous season.
And lastly, Sam Long. The disadvantages of being the group’s geezer at 29 and having no more minor league possibilities are clear. He may be a part of the same trend that produced good outcomes for Zerpa and Lynch, as seen by his 3.16 ERA performance with the Royals last season. Since Long is already a journeyman reliever, it doesn’t make sense to go straight up for Baty.
There are other interesting pitchers on the Royals. For the past two seasons, starter Alec Marsh hasn’t done too well. He was selected in the second round of the 2019 draft and is similar to Baty in that he is a promising player who appears to be being overlooked by others. Even for a player with a 4.96 ERA in just over 200 innings at the major league level, the Royals would likely want more than simply Baty due to the importance of pitchers, especially starters.
The easiest option for the Mets to get the most out of a deal involving Baty is to trade him for an arm of some sort. There are a lot of position players in the organization. It feels realistic enough to have a pitcher that is both controlled and optional. There is enough for the Royals to start a discussion.
