The New York Mets and Kansas City Royals make a lot of sense as trade partners right now.
Having dropped $126 million on a reported three-year contract for infielder Bo Bichette, the Mets now must shift their attention to acquiring pitching. Even for a team owned by the wealthiest man in the sport, the Mets might want to save some money at this point by trading for starters, rather than signing them on the open market.
The Royals, perhaps more than any other team at the moment, have an All-Star they would be more than happy to trade away. So far this offseason, they haven’t received enough interest to warrant pulling the trigger. Could the Mets change that calculus moving forward?
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Kris Bubic named trade fit for Mets by insider
On Sunday, Will Sammon of The Athletic named Royals All-Star Kris Bubic as a trade target on the Mets’ radar in the wake of the Bichette deal, though the insider noted that the 28-year-old was “considered a long shot” for New York.
It’s frankly a little bit odd that the two sides haven’t been mentioned together more often this winter, which may indicate that the Mets are scared off by the injury history a bit. Bubic entered the offseason recovering from a strained rotator cuff, which cut his season short after 20 excellent starts.
The Royals can spare Bubic, as they have Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Noah Cameron, Ryan Bergert, and Stephen Kolek under contract, among other potential rotation options with less experience.
Meanwhile, the Mets have long had a glut of young position players who haven’t had the runway to establish themselves in Queens. The Royals are deficient in the outfield and at second base, which could make Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuña, or Ronny Mauricio of interest on top of more prospect capital.
Not all fits that make sense on paper wind up playing out, but if the Royals are going to find a willing trade partner for Bubic before he hits free agency next winter, the Mets seemingly would be as likely as anyone.
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