Starling Marte of New York Mets looking on.Starling Marte (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
A blockbuster trade proposal has an American League team shaking up the playoff race by acquiring New York Mets All-Star outfielder Starling Marte.

The Mets’ recent surge will likely make president of baseball operations David Stearns a buyer ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline. But offense is far from an issue for the red-hot Mets, so it makes sense for the team to consider shopping Starling Marte for pitching help.

Marte has been out of action for over a month with a knee injury, last playing on June 22 against the Chicago Cubs. The New York offense ranks in or near the top 10 in most major categories, but the Mets need additional arms in the rotation and bullpen to return to the postseason.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post recently proposed a blockbuster trade idea with the Mets sending Starling Marte to the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers in exchange for starting pitcher Tyler Mahle.

Mahle has not pitched in the big leagues this year as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery. In the offseason, Mahle signed a two-year deal with the Rangers worth $22 million.

 

 

So far this season, the 35-year-old Startling Marte is batting .278 with seven homers, 30 RBI and a .745 OPS. Mahle was limited to 25.2 innings pitched with the Minnesota Twins last season (five game appearances).

In 2022, Mahle appeared in 23 total games (split with the Twins and Cincinnati Reds). He finished with a record of 6-8 with a 4.40 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 120.2 innings pitched.

A Veteran Bat Like Starling Marte Makes Sense For Rangers

The Texas Rangers’ loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday dropped them to 51-53 on the year, placing them six games behind the Kansas City Royals for the final playoff spot in the American League.

The defending World Series champions have nothing to lose this year, so they may as well target a veteran hitter like Marte to try and get them back into the postseason race.