Price Tags on J.D. Martinez, Willson Contreras Remain High for New York Mets, Rival Teams
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It's pretty evident that things are going to come down to the wire, with Tuesday's 6 p.m. trade deadline looming on August 2.
According to sources, the Boston Red Sox are currently asking for at least three pieces for DH J.D. Martinez, which would be centered around a Top-five prospect, a major league player and an additional piece and/or cash.
The New York Mets have been scouting and monitoring Martinez recently, who has been dealing with back spasms. On Sunday, Martinez snapped an 0-for-25 stretch by doubling twice and knocking in a run in the Red Sox 7-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
The current belief is that no trade appears to be close between the Mets and Red Sox at the moment. Mets have interest in Martinez, but not for the current price tag. That said, these things can change as we get closer to the deadline on Tuesday.
As previously mentioned, if the Red Sox ask doesn't go down by the deadline, which is hard to imagine for a rental player that's having a down year, the Mets could essentially trade Ronny Mauricio (No. 3 prospect), Dom Smith, who is a player Boston likes, and cash or another lower-tier minor leaguer. It might make more sense to dish out Mauricio, flip recent acquisition Daniel Vogelbach (lefty bat that plays vs. RHP) and include right-handed bat J.D. Davis. However, the Mets have indicated that they're unwilling to give up a top prospect for a rental piece or pieces. This includes the 34-year-old Martinez.
Martinez, an exclusive DH, doesn't fit on the same roster as Vogelbach. Albeit, he is a big masher and when healthy, could be a major impact in the middle of the Mets' lineup. Mets also have interest in Martinez's teammate, catcher Christian Vazquez as well.
The Mets are in on Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, and have interest in pulling off a package deal that contains reliever David Robertson as well. But the ask on that side remains high, too. Talks had quieted down on that front as of a few days ago, but were expected to pick back up soon.
Mets No. 5 prospect Mark Vientos is close to making his MLB debut, and New York is unwilling to trade him. Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty are also off limits.
In addition to the Mets, the San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays are in on Contreras and could potentially offer more in prospect capital if they're willing to do so. The Padres are seen as strong players to trade for superstar Juan Soto, but if they lose out on him to the Los Angeles Dodgers, or another dark horse, they could easily pivot to Contreras and they have the prospect capital to land him.
Read More:
- Mets ace Jacob deGrom Still Plans to Opt-Out After Season
- Shohei Ohtani Unlikely to be Dealt, Mets Remain Intrigued
- Trying to Make Sense of Mets' Latest Trade for Tyler Naquin, Lefty Relief Help
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