The list of New York Mets third basemen to have hit 30 home runs in a season is a pretty short one: David Wright, Howard Johnson and Robin Ventura. And the list of New York Mets third basemen to have hit 40 home run sin a season is even shorter — in fact, it doesn't exist.
But a new trade report could mean that another team is actively pushing the Mets to engage in a trade that would bring in a third baseman who averaged 40 home runs per season from 2015 to 2019. According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, that player is Nolan Arenado.
"The team that I am watching very carefully -- that I was told even this week is the team the Rockies want to engage with -- is the New York Mets," Morosi said on Wednesday morning (h/t Danny Abriano).
And no, it's not the other way around, as Twitter mistakenly framed it.
Though his cumulative power numbers are undeniable, with a career OPS near .900, the Coors Field effect certainly seems to have played a role in his success. According to Baseball Reference, his Home/Away career splits are as follows:
Home: 2080 AB, 136 HR, .322/.376/.609
Away: 2038 AB, 99 HR, .263/.322/.471
But his offense is not the only aspect of his game that makes him one of the most talented players the league has to offer, as his defense at the hot corner has earned him seven Gold Gloves in his eight-year career.
What would the Mets have to deal? Morosi suggests that a package of Brandon Nimmo, the recently-suspended Robinson Cano (as an offsetting salary factor) and a prospect might be enough. Arenado's contract is a big one — he signed an eight-year, $260 million deal prior to the 2019 season of which there are still six years and $199 million left — and you can count MLB.com's Anthony DiComo among those who think that salary might be too rich for what the Mets need to do, even with new owner Steve Cohen at the helm.
The Rockies are potentially looking to shed that salary from their books to make room for a Trevor Story contract, who will become an unrestricted free agent following the 2021 season. Moving Arenado to another team — not the Dodgers, Morosi noted, as the Rockies want to keep him out of the NL West — will help to achieve that goal, and it seems as though the Mets are in their sights.
Whether or not the Mets are ready to give up assets like Nimmo and a prospect(s) for a 30-year-old Arenado remains to be seen, but on paper, it looks like a scenario that would need to be given some serious thought.
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM Sports
Twitter | Facebook I Instagram