John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |
Is there a chance the Mets could pull off a trade with the Astros for shortstop Carlos Correa?
They'd have to get awfully creative, put it that way.
At the Winter Meetings in San Diego, SNY's Andy Martino reported Wednesday that the teams have had "dialogue" about such a possibility, which comes on the heels of The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reporting Tuesday that the Astros have entertained the possibility of trading Correa as a way of dealing with their current -- and future -- payroll crunch.
Any trade of Correa would be tricky, however, as he is considered to have superstar talent, putting up big numbers when healthy, but has been hampered enough by injuries in recent years to perhaps affect his value.
He also can be a free agent after the 2021 season, and with several players locked up to long-term deals already, including Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke, it could come down to Houston choosing between Correa and George Springer as the odd man out.
In any case, the Mets would no doubt be happy to include Amed Rosario in any deal for Correa, but that might not work because the Astros almost surely would prefer to move Bregman from third to short, his natural position.
Otherwise, the Astros would be looking for young pitching, partly to address a shortage created by Gerrit Cole's departure and some recent regression by their top prospects, while also lowering payroll that is in the luxury-tax threshold territory for the first time.
And the problem there is young pitching is in short supply for the Mets, certainly any that is close to being major league-ready.
The Astros might want Matthew Allan, the first round-caliber high school pitcher the Mets smartly drafted with a third-round pick last June, ignoring warnings that he wouldn't sign, but they'd have to get more than that for Correa.
And, in truth, with so little high-ceiling pitching in their system, the Mets can hardly afford to trade Allan. So while Brodie Van Wagenen should continue to explore the possibility, it's hard to see how the teams match up to make such a deal.