As part of their attempt to trade Jed Lowrie, the Mets have discussed a potential deal with the Rangers that would involve Lowrie and Dominic Smith heading to Texas, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported late Wednesday.
According to Rosenthal, talks between the Mets and Rangers have failed to progress to this point.
Aside from the Rangers, the A's have inquired with the Mets about Lowrie, SNY's Andy Martino reported Wednesday.
The 36-year-old Lowrie, who missed all but nine games in 2019 due to a variety of injuries, is owed $10 million in 2020 when it comes to how payoll is calculated for luxury tax purposes.
The Mets were attempting to trade Lowrie before agreeing to a one-year, $10 million deal with Rick Porcello on Thursday. Now with Porcello on board, the Mets are brushing right up against the $208 million luxury tax threshold.
Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen said Thursday that the Mets wouldn't simply put younger, less expensive talent in a deal that includes a player like Lowrie in order to clear money for the sake of it. But Van Wagenen said he would be open to certain deals like that if it helped the team fill other needs.
Smith, 24, is under team control through the 2024 season and will not be eligible for arbitration until 2022. Because of that, he could have lots of value on the trade market.
If a potential deal of Lowrie and Smith means the receiving team taking on most of what is owed to Lowrie while sending the Mets something useful back in return, it could make sense.