The Mets are looking for an everyday center fielder and have interest in Pirates outfielder Starling Marte, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.
With plenty of center field options for general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, Marte might be the best one available, should the Pirates choose to trade him.
Pittsburgh has already exercised an option on Marte's contract in 2020, worth $11.5 million, and there is another team option for 2021 at $12.5 million.
The Pirates have not indicated if Marte will be made available, but the Baseball Night in New York crew took a crack at what it might take to bring Dominican native to Queens.
Video: Should the Mets trade for Starling Marte?
Marte won back-to-back Gold Gloves in 2015 and 2016, serving mainly as a left fielder, though he did see some time in center at the time, as well. He made a full-time switch to center field at the start of the 2018 season.
The Mets struggled defensively in center field last year and hope to improve in that regard in 2020 while also adding a productive bat to that spot in the lineup. In Marte, the Mets could get exactly what they're searching for.
While teams might be wary of adding a player on the wrong side of 30, Marte's contract would make him a low-risk proposition. He's also coming of arguably the strongest offensive season of his career, posting career highs in homers (23), RBI (82) and OPS (.845).
While he had a bit of regression defensively, his defensive metrics still grade out to an improvement over what Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo did in center field in 2019.