Breaking: Mets Set to Make Splash With Two White Sox Stars in Mega Trade
Everyone is seemingly waiting for the New York Mets to go ballistic this winter.
After an unexpected National League Championship Series appearance, the Mets are hoping to build an empire for themselves in Queens. Their number-one target this winter is the most expensive target there is, superstar outfielder Juan Soto, and that may be just the tip of the iceberg.
The Mets are quietly set to lose a lot of players to free agency themselves, after stocking the cabinet with one-year contracts last winter. That leaves openings both in the starting rotation and in center field, and if New York wants to fill both needs at once, a massive trade could be in order.
The Chicago White Sox have star players at both positions who could be up for sale. Mike Axisa of CBS Sports recently predicted that the Mets would pull off a trade to acquire both starting pitcher Garrett Crochet and center fielder Luis Robert Jr. this winter.
“For this next bold prediction, we’ll say the Mets hook up for a blockbuster trade with the White Sox, one that sends Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert Jr. to Flushing,” Axisa said.
“The Mets need rotation help with Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana, and Luis Severino all becoming free agents, and they don’t have a center fielder (Tyrone Taylor’s a nice player, but come on). Crochet and Robert to the Mets for a package that includes Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuña, and at least two others. It has been foretold.”
In Crochet and Robert, the Mets would land a pair of recent All-Stars that could take them to the next level. They’d also likely take on close to $200 million in future salaries, as Robert still has up to $55 million remaining on his deal including options, and Crochet is seeking a nine-figure extension from any team that trades for him.
If the Mets could pull it off, it might be the move of the winter, even if they can’t land Soto. But with competition expected to be fierce for Crochet in particular, it would take one heck of a package to get such a mega-deal over the finish line.
