Mets lose Ronny Mauricio in hypothetical trade for appealing outfielder

This hypothetical New York Mets trade seems to make a lot of sense.

Jul 11, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Mets third baseman Ronny Mauricio (10) takes batting practice against the Kansas City Royals prior to a game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The New York Mets have a surplus of infielders at the moment, many of whom are in similar places in their respective big league careers.

Of course, New York has Francisco Lindor at shortstop and traded for second baseman Marcus Semien earlier this winter, both of whom are established big league stars who have already earned their starting positions in the 2026 season.

From here, the Mets also have Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio, and Luisangel Acuña. All four of these guys are young, talented players who have shown moments of brilliance in the past. Yet, none of them have proven to be above the rest in terms of earning playing time.

Sep 17, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty (7) throws the ball to first base for an out during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Baty was good down the stretch in 2025, which is why he likely will be the Mets' first option at third base. Vientos could play first, or new acquisition Jorge Polanco could play there.

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This leaves a lot of uncertainty for Mauricio and Acuña. Given that the Mets desperately need more outfield pieces, both of these infielders would make sense as potential trade candidates.

Expert presents Mets Lars Nootbaar trade prediction

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter proposed that the Mets should trade Mauricio for St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar in a January 13 article.

Sep 6, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (21) makes the catch on a fly ball to left field by San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey (14) in the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

When explaining why this makes sense for New York, Reuter wrote, "The Mets are still in the mix to sign Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger this offseason, but hedging their bets with this trade would be a step toward finalizing a roster that still needs multiple outfielders. Nootbaar has yet to have a true breakout season, but he does have a 109 OPS+ over five years in the majors and has averaged 2.8 WAR per 162 games played. He is also controllable through 2027."

As for why this trade checks out for the Cardinals, Reuter said, "Trading two years of Nootbaar for four years of Mauricio makes sense for a Cardinals team kicking off a multi-year rebuild, even if it is a roll of the dice. Still only 24 years old, Mauricio has never had the chance to show what he can do over an extended run in the majors, but he has a top prospect pedigree."

Nootbaar is coming off a 2025 campaign where he hit .234 with a .686 OPS in 135 games. However, this was his worst MLB season by far, and he appears poised for a solid bounce-back season regardless of who he's playing for.