Would this trade proposal be enough for Mets to land Paul Skenes?

Would this hypothetical trade proposal be enough for the New York Mets to land Paul Skenes in a mega deal with the Pirates?

May 23, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the second inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

This is very unlikely to occur. However, the Pittsburgh Pirates will at least be inclined to listen to any Paul Skenes trade offers they receive ahead of this year's July trade deadline.

In a May 28 article, MLB insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic proposed five hypothetical trade packages that Pittsburgh would have to consider for Skenes. Bowden included the New York Mets in his five teams that could give the Pirates a legitimate offer.

In this Mets proposal, Bowden had Brandon Sproat, Carson Benge, Jett Williams and Ryan Clifford, who round out four of the organization's top five prospects in their system, per MLB Pipeline.

"The Mets could offer arguably their four best prospects for Skenes," Bowden, an ex-MLB GM wrote. "Sproat could effectively replace Skenes in the Pirates’ rotation immediately while Benge, Clifford and Williams would give them a trio of bats who would improve their lineup in the long term. This is the weakest package of the five I’ve listed, but among this group of potential trade partners, the Mets are the team that needs Skenes the most; he’d pair with Kodai Senga to lead a rotation that surprisingly tops the majors in ERA (2.85) this season."

But would this be enough?

Sproat, the Mets' second highest ranked prospect, has struggled in Triple-A this season, posting a 6.31 ERA in 10 starts for Syracuse.

Williams, a natural shortstop that can also play center field, is tearing up Double-A at the moment, slashing .284/.373/.485 with four home runs and nine stolen bases.

Clifford, who is also in Double-A, is a first baseman and corner outfielder that is currently hitting .228/.325/.421 with seven homers and 25 RBI.

Benge, the Mets' 2024 first-round draft pick, has been impressive as well. Benge is slashing .231/.448/.543 with four homers, 26 RBI and nine steals in High-A ball.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has made it clear that the organization doesn't intend to trade Skenes for hitting help. Skenes is under team control through 2029 and would likely cost more than the hypothetical proposed package to get a deal done.

It's also highly unlikely that Skenes gets dealt by the Pirates this year.