Two things appear to be true, and they could make for a match.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have not deemed centerfield star Oneil Cruz untouchable in trade talks, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. And the New York Mets could still use a long-term centerfielder.
Nothing has officially linked these teams in approaching a deal yet, but it’d be a logical partnership.
The 6-foot-7 Cruz is one of the most exciting players in baseball, despite some inconsistency. He puts up some of the game’s fastest sprint speeds on the bases, has the hardest-hit ball in Statcast-era history, and he has the strongest throwing arm in the game.
Sure, Cruz swings and misses quite a bit, but that’s a small cost when there’s such a big potential reward in still-untapped upside.
The Pirates could view dealing Cruz as a smart future play, because his multiple years of remaining club control mean he’d likely fetch a huge prospect haul.
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The Mets’ top-four prospects could all headline a big trade: Jett Williams, Brnadon Sproat, Carson Benge and Jonah Tong. New York wouldn’t want to give them all up, of course, but they’d be in play.
The Mets could also consider catcher Francisco Alvarez as a trade chip after he fell out of favor enough to be sent down to Triple-A.
New York’s Brett Baty also doesn’t have a perfect positional fit on the current MLB roster, assuming Mark Vientos is still the third baseman of the future.
There are definitely enough moving pieces with the Mets to think they could put together a compelling offer for Cruz.
Would this ever happen? It’s not clear.
But if the opportunity presented itself, the Mets would be wise to pursue it.
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