NEWSLETTER
Because today is frenetic, I’m going to share the following but mostly point to the lengthy, conspiracy-adjacent (but totally correct!) take I wrote last night. If you haven’t read that piece, do so, because it lays out what I really think is happening between the Cubs and Mets, and why.
The Mets are reiterating their stance on the second tier of prospects in their system (the guys after Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty, who are purportedly off limits in any non-Soto deal):
Since the two most prominent “rentals” to which the Mets have been tied are Willson Contreras and David Robertson, you can presume, once again, that this is the Mets saying they will not trade one of those prospects for ONE of those players.
In other words, this is wholly consistent with my theory that the Mets would like to back the Cubs into a deal that sends them both Contreras and Robertson, and returns to the Cubs only one of the prospects in that tier (Vientos, most preferably to the Mets). This is all just bluster.
And since the Cubs are likely waiting on (at least) the Padres, they are probably more than content to keep holding the line with the Mets.
None of that is to say the Mets wouldn’t also hold the line right on through the deadline (in terms of a one-for-one swap). Like I’ve said, Vientos for one of Contreras or Robertson does seem like a pretty decent return. It’s just that the Mets want to do better, and I don’t think that’s reasonable.
