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Pittsburgh Pirates: Potential trades for Starling Marte

By Ryan Sanders

CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 28: Starling Marte #6 of the Pittsburgh Pirates singles to left field to lead off the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on September 28, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 28: Starling Marte #6 of the Pittsburgh Pirates singles to left field to lead off the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on September 28, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
(Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

New York Mets

Marte makes perfect sense for a Mets team that hasn’t gotten much production in CF of late. Last season, the Mets ranked 27th in CF production at -0.4 WAR which is not ideal for a team that fancies itself as a contender. Marte would be an instant upgrade and slot at the top of a dangerous lineup featuring Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, and Michael Conforto and others. The Mets would have to give up some real value to the Pittsburgh Pirates in order to upgrade from nothing to Marte and it could look something like this:

Mets Get

  • OF Starling Marte – $24M Surplus Value

Pirates Get

  • SS Andrés Giménez – 50 FV – $28M Expected Value

OR

Pirates fans can dream of getting 55FV SS prospect Ronny Mauricio, but unless the Mets really like Marte, don’t value Mauricio, or a bidding war breaks out, it is unlikely they would be able to swing a deal. Giménez is coming off a down year but is still a top 100 prospect that could be an everyday SS with a lefty bat. Mets would be dealing from a position of strength with Amed Rosario and the already mentioned Mauricio ahead on the org chart. This would net the Pirates a SS of the future who will give them wins on the cheap.

The other deal the Pirates could pursue would be for quantity over quality. With the NL Central having four teams competing, the Pirates could opt for higher risk players that are further away. This trade would give them a slew of talent age 20 or less.

Baty is a 3B prospect with huge power, Alvarez brings rare power for a catcher and could be above average behind the plate, Allan has two above average pitches with a chance for a third, and Newton is a switch hitting SS. Brodie Van Wagenen would get his impact player and Cherington would get a crop of talent.

But could the Diamondbacks make a more enticing offer to the Pittsburgh Pirates?

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