The New York Mets have an overabundance of outfielders after signing Juan Soto to a monumental contract.
Owner Steve Cohen gave Soto a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million deal — the largest in professional sports history. Soto’s annual average comes out to $51 million per year, another MLB record.
With Soto on board, the Mets now have five outfielders on their roster: Brandon Nimmo, Tyrone Taylor, the recently acquired Jose Siri, and Starling Marte.
Now, one of them is reportedly on the trade market.
New York Mets willing to pay down two-time All-Star’s salary in trade
According to The Athletic’s Tim Britton and Will Sammon, the Mets are open to trading Starling Marte, a two-time All-Star, and paying down his $20.75 million salary for 2025 — the final year of his four-year, $78 million deal.
“The Mets would be willing to absorb some of Starling Marte’s salary in a trade, people familiar with the club’s thinking said. There were no indications as of Wednesday afternoon that any deal was imminent. But with Soto’s presence in right field, it would be logical for the Mets to at least seriously consider moving Marte,” Britton and Sammon report.
The 36-year-old Marte has been injury-prone during his three seasons in Queens, playing in just 298 out of a possible 486 regular season games. This past year, he slashed .269/.327/.388, hit seven home runs, stole 16 bases, and accumulated a 0.7 WAR in 94 games.
Related: Are New York Mets looking to steal away third former New York Yankees standout in MLB free agency?