BREAKING NEWS: Mets trades trade $78 million two-time All-Star to make room for Luisangel Acuña | Net News
The New York Mets have a problem many teams would kill to have, but it’s a problem nonetheless.
Due to their high-profile offseason signings, the Mets aren’t likely to have enough space in their lineup for all the stars they’ve paid through the years. Namely, Starling Marte, a former two-time All-Star, will struggle to find playing time.
Thanks to the additions of Juan Soto and Jose Siri in the outfield, Marte is most likely scrapping for at-bats in a designated hitter platoon. That’s not the position the Mets envisioned Marte would be in when they paid him $78 million three years ago, but that’s the way some free-agent deals go.
Will the Mets keep Marte around, though? Even if he still has productive major league at-bats in him, trading him away could have ancillary benefits for the Mets’ young players.
On Wednesday, The Athletic’s Will Sammon explained how getting Marte off the roster could open up playing time for rookie infielder Luisangel Acuña, who debuted with the Mets in September and even made the playoff roster as a backup option.
“On the Mets’ roster, Marte stands out as a luxury — someone who proved he can still be productive when healthy, but also someone regarded as depth and who will probably mostly see time against lefties (.844 OPS against them in 2024),” Sammon wrote.
“Trading Marte would open a path for someone like Mark Vientos to DH against lefties, allowing for someone like Acuña to play third base in just one configuration.”
Acuña, 22, impressed in his brief stint in the majors, going 12-for-39 with three home runs. He’s also not the only young infielder scratching for playing time–Brett Baty and the injured Ronny Mauricio also figure to be roster options at some point this season.
If the Mets can find a way to get Marte off the roster, perhaps to some team that thinks he can still be an everyday bat in their lineup, they could be much better off in the long haul thanks to the opportunities it may open up.
