![\"Starling](\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/new-york-mets-starling-marte-98615807.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024\")
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Reports surfaced back in December that the Mets were looking into the possibility of a Starling Marte<\/strong> trade, and were willing to eat some of Marte\u2019s $19.5MM salary.\u00a0 The Athletic\u2019s Will Sammon reported today that the Mets \u201cdid not come especially close to\u201d moving Marte, though some teams did check in about the possibility and some discussions took place.<\/p>\n Marte shared his own take on the process with Sammon, MLB.com\u2019s Anthony DiComo, and other reporters today at the Mets\u2019 spring camp, revealing that the team was in contact with him about trade possibilities.\u00a0 \u201cThey spoke to me before the [Juan Soto<\/strong>] signing, and then after the signing, they reiterated that they would try to move me<\/em>,\u201d Marte said.\u00a0 \u201cThey were very clear, very honest with me up front.\u00a0 They obviously want the best for this team, but also the best for my future.\u00a0 They were really helpful, and they were really transparent about the situation<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n The Mets have yet to tell Marte whether or not a trade might still happen, Sammon writes, though the possibility looks increasingly less likely now that Spring Training is underway.\u00a0 As a result, Marte is penciled in for part-time duty at best, slated to mostly work as a backup outfielder and as the team\u2019s DH whenever a left-handed starter is on the mound.\u00a0 Marte has offered to also chip in as a center fielder, even if he has played just three games at the position in the last three seasons, and with Jose Siri<\/strong> and Tyrone Taylor<\/strong> seemingly having things covered up the middle.<\/p>\n Regardless, Marte\u2019s willingness to return to his old position underscores his desire to help the Mets win, even if he\u2019s receiving less playing time than usual.<\/p>\n \u201cWhenever you\u2019re with a team for the amount of time I\u2019ve been with the team, you get comfortable, you don\u2019t want to get traded because you\u2019ve created relationships with the staff, the players, everybody around here<\/em>,\u201d Marte said.\u00a0 \u201cBut at the same time, any baseball player would love to play every single day because that\u2019s how a player gets reps, gets better day in and day out.\u00a0 But at the same time, I\u2019m here and I\u2019m going to do the best I can do<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n While his four-year, $78MM contract is (incredibly) barely a tenth of Soto\u2019s megadeal, it wasn\u2019t long ago that Marte was a prized free agent contract in his own right, joining the Mets in the 2021-22 offseason.\u00a0 He delivered an All-Star performance in the first year of that deal, even if a fractured finger prematurely ended his regular season and hampered him during the Mets\u2019 playoff run.\u00a0 The finger issue proved to be a harbinger for the next two seasons, as Marte battled a number of different health issues and played in 180 of a possible 324 games, while hitting .258\/.314\/.357 with 12 home runs in 711 plate appearances.<\/p>\n Most of those struggles were focused into the 2023 season, as Marte had a more respectable 104 wRC+ in 370 PA in 2024.\u00a0 As DiComo noted, Marte had some pretty sharp splits last season with the bulk of his production coming against southpaws, so a more specialized role against mostly left-handed pitching could help Marte become an impact bat even in a limited capacity.<\/p>\n Of course, Marte might well earn himself more at-bats the better he hits, or he could get more playing time if injuries strike any of New York\u2019s other outfielders.\u00a0 To that end, Brandon Nimmo<\/strong> dealt with plantar fasciitis in his left foot for much of the 2024 season, and he told Sammon and Tim Britton that he received a PRP injection to deal with the problem over the offseason.<\/p>\n The early returns in camp are promising, as Nimmo estimated he was moving at 91 percent of his top speed during a running drill on Friday.\u00a0 The plan is to ramp up relatively slowly during the spring, with Nimmo again planning to wait until the first week of March to start playing in games.\u00a0 If all goes as expected, Nimmo felt he should be ready for Opening Day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Mets were “really transparent” with Starling Marte about trade talks this winter. Visit MLB Trade Rumors for more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":34810,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[988,989],"class_list":["post-34809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-brandon-nimmo","tag-starling-marte"],"yoast_head":"\n