The New York Mets have to explore all avenues for the rest of the winter until they find themselves an ace.
Signing Juan Soto is great, but right now, the Mets’ starting rotation is too iffy to consider them World Series favorites. Price tags in free agency have been astronomical thus far, but perhaps the better option for New York sits waiting on the trade market.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the penny-pinching Minnesota Twins, who are mired in an ownership change and facing loss of television revenue, have fielded trade calls for former All-Star starting pitcher Pablo López, the de facto ace of their staff.
“The Twins have listened on right-hander Pablo Lopez, and if free agent pitching prices remain stratospheric, perhaps they’ll go beyond the listening stage,” Passan said.
López, 28, is coming off a slight down year, but still racked up 198 strikeouts, 12th-most in MLB, while pitching to a 4.08 ERA in 185 1/3 innings. In 2023, he finished third in strikeouts with a 3.66 ERA, and shined in Minnesota’s first playoff series win in 19 years.
If he’s available, López is a far better and more cost-effective option for the Mets than just about anyone they can get on the free-agent market, perhaps even Corbin Burnes. He’s been an ace at times, and he racks up innings pitched, which New York will sorely need.
So given that he’s essentially the perfect fit for the Mets, what sort of trade package might it take to send López, who is owed $65 million over the next three seasons, to Queens?
Mets receive: SP Pablo López
Twins receive: OF Ryan Clifford (Mets No. 4 prospect per MLB.com), RHP Nolan McLean (No. 9), 3B Brett Baty
You have to give up something good to get something good, and Clifford and McLean both have the potential to be stars. Meanwhile Baty, once a top prospect in his own right, would get a fresh start in the Twin Cities, providing insurance in case Royce Lewis gets hurt again.
López could be the ace the Mets need at a very affordable price. They should aggressively try to bait the Twins into letting him go.
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