The Mets have a Bo Bichette problem, and it’s starting to look like one they won’t be able to solve cleanly.
Bichette’s contract is the kind that forces a front office to keep every door cracked open. He has an opt-out after this year and again after next, which makes him a tough player to move and an even tougher one to value.
If he heats up over the next few weeks, the Mets still have to ask how much they’d really get back in a trade unless they’re willing to eat part of the deal. And if he opts in, the question gets even messier: do they want to be on the hook for some of next year’s salary, too?
That sort of thinking didn’t exactly pay off when the Mets tried it with Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. Ryan Clifford is the only prospect still left from those trades, and he may not hit his weight in Triple-A.
The money saved was real. The return, not so much.
So if Bichette is gone this offseason, the Mets need a plan for the infield, and a trade with the Cubs could help provide one. The name to keep circling is Pedro Ramirez, a 22-year-old who can handle both second base and third base.
Ramirez has already logged limited major league time this season and is hitting .250 there. In Triple-A, he put together a .942 OPS and set a career high with 9 home runs in 196 plate appearances.
He also swiped 19 bases in 21 attempts. He’s not built to mash his way into the heart of a lineup, but he could be steady enough to hold down third base and give the Mets something better than more of the same from Brett Baty.
That matters because the Mets’ infield picture is far from settled. Whether Bichette stays or goes, Ramirez would give them a useful piece.
Ronny Mauricio looks likely to use up his final minor league option after his recent demotion. Baty and Mark Vientos can’t both reasonably be penciled in for next year.
And down in the system, there doesn’t appear to be anyone forcing the issue for a big league job.
The Cubs, meanwhile, have reasons to listen. The Mets do have pieces Chicago could want, starting with Freddy Peralta as a buy-low rotation option. The two teams already completed the David Peterson-for-Cole Mathis deal, so another swap wouldn’t be out of the question.
New York’s bullpen could also enter the conversation. Injuries have hit that group hard, and no reliever on the roster has more than 3 saves.
Luke Weaver stands out as the kind of arm the Cubs might see as a ninth-inning answer, even though the Mets have mostly used him as a setup man. A.J.
Minter and Brooks Raley may not draw the same level of interest, especially since two of the Mets’ most-used healthy relievers are left-handed. Huascar Brazoban is another possibility, but Weaver feels like the real difference-maker.
Still, the price tags don’t line up neatly. A year and a half of Weaver for Ramirez feels light for the Mets.
The same argument applies to Brazoban, given how valuable he should be relative to his contract. And Ramirez-for-Peralta only works if the Cubs are willing to move one of the few higher-profile starters available.
Chicago may not have much incentive to hold onto Ramirez anyway, with Alex Bregman and Nico Hoerner already under contract for several more seasons. FanGraphs ranked Ramirez as the Cubs’ third-best prospect entering the season, and that makes him the kind of headliner the Mets should be targeting if they’re serious about adding an infield answer. For a team that needs depth and maybe a long-term option at third, he fits the bill.
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