Currently, the Mets do need an outfielder, but Starling Marte who struggled mightily on and off the field with injuries and a bad performance altogether in 2022, it seems like moving him could be in the cards. Marte, 35, is currently heading into year 3 of his 4-year $78 million contract with the organization, Marte does carry a big AAV hit of $19.5m per season, and even though the Mets can afford it, maybe it’s time to cut ties and invest the money elsewhere into a younger player with a more positive profile going forward. It would be tough to move Marte with the injuries and money he’s owed not many teams would step up, but if the Mets take on some salary, a contender could view this as a ‘buy low’ type of move. There are potential fits in the free-agent market, Lourdes Gurriel Jr, Jorge Soler, Teoscar Hernandez, Kevin Kiermaier. just to name a view. If Marte does start the season with the Mets (he likely will), the organization should 100% have a short leash on him, especially after the past year. Let’s take a look at Marte’s 2023 season:
⁃ 341 PAs
⁃ .248/.301/.324
⁃ 5 HR/.076 ISO
⁃ .312 xwOBA
⁃ .363 xwOBACON
⁃ -6 OAA
⁃ 76 wRC+
Putting up a season like that at 35 is not a positive sign, you could say there was some bad luck with injuries and batted ball, but still at the end of the day that production is not gonna cut it, especially when the Mets could add younger and better options at a similar price wise. Hopefully, Marte can figure it out, as Steamer is predicting a 101 wRC+ and a 1.2 fWAR for him next season. We will have to wait and see how Marte does, but a short leash should be put on him.
BS Reports 
Leave a comment