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Over the course of this offseason, the Mets have been linked to second basemen in trade rumors. The team previously negotiated with the Pirates to see if they could acquire Josh Harrison. Before that, the Mets were also involved with trade talks with the Cleveland Indians for Jason Kipnis. Since it doesn’t appear as if the Mets are still engaged with either the Indians or the Pirates, perhaps Sandy Alderson should speak to Derek Jeter about a potential trade with the Marlins for Starlin Castro.
Castro, a native of Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic, has voiced his displeasure with being part of a rebuild and has verbally asked the Marlins for a trade. Castro was dealt to the Marlins earlier this offseason in a blockbuster trade involving slugger Giancarlo Stanton. The Marlins dealt Stanton and cash considerations to the Yankees for Castro, Jorge Guzman, and Jose Devers.
Additionally, the Marlins don’t seem opposed to trading their assets. In fact, if they dealt Castro it would be third high profile trade in South Florida this offseason. As, both Stanton and Marcell Ozuna were dealt earlier on in the off-season.
Last year, Castro had one of his best seasons in the big leagues. He had 16 home runs and had a .792 OPS and a 110 wRC+ in 112 games with the Yankees. Unfortunately for him, he suffered from a occurring hamstring injury, which shortened his regular season.
Before his tenure in the Bronx, Castro played for the Chicago Cubs from 2010 through 2015. He had several solid seasons in the Windy City, but Castro became an after thought once Javier Baez was ready for the show. At that point, the Cubs decided to ship him to the Yankees for Adam Warren and player to be named later.
From a contract perspective, Castro is less expensive then Kipnis and comparable to Harrison. Castro is owed roughly $11 million this season, $12 million in 2019, and has a $16 team option for 2020. If the Mets can negotiate a deal with the Marlins for Castro, they’ll be able to net a solid second baseman.