The New York Mets have made the biggest move of the offseason by signing Juan Soto to the largest contract in the history of professional sports. The move could mean they will have to part ways with some of their players from 2024 to help the payroll.
The Mets signed Soto to a 15-year, $765 million deal on December 8. The deal has no deferrals and can reach up to $800 million. FanSided’s Zachary Rotman predicted the team would trade Starling Marte for some pitching help.
“The Mets signed Soto, an outfielder, to join an already stacked group of outfielders. Brandon Nimmo is locked in long-term, Tyrone Taylor has a couple of years of club control, as does the newly acquired Jose Siri,” wrote Rotman. “Can the Mets keep Starling Marte around as well? Certainly, but where’s the fit? Sure, they could use him in right field, but chances are, they won’t want Soto as their DH in year one of their 15-year commitment with him. They could use Marte as the team’s DH, but they can certainly do better in free agency.”
Marte is a two-time All-Star and he signed a four-year, $78 million deal with the Mets before the 2022 season. He was an All-Star in 2022 with 24 home runs and a .292 batting average. The following season he hit just five homers. In 2024 he was good but not great, and he has clearly lost the power stroke. He hit just seven home runs. His lack of power does not seem to justify him as the team’s designated hitter.
His defense was terrible in 2024. He had a minus-eight outs above average. The only plus side was his arm as he had six outfield assists. While Marte has lost the ability to hit home runs consistently, he was great for the Mets in the postseason. He had the third-best average on the team in the postseason, hitting .277 in 13 games. He was third in RBIs with 9, ahead of Francisco Lindor. Overall he went 13-for-47 in the postseason.
The Mets would be wise to trade him and his contract. He is due $20.75 million next season and is far from playing to that value. The Mets may even have to eat some of his salary to facilitate a trade.
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