This Is An INSANE Trade Idea For The Mets...

This is an insane trade idea for the New York Mets. As we all know, first base is the biggest weakness, and if Steve Cohen wants to make a massive splash, then David Stearns is going to have to execute a blockbuster trade as one of the top-tier options to improve the power in the Mets lineup and pry away a massive asset for the rival Philadelphia Phillies. What's going on, guys? I'm Josh Byrne. You're tuned in to Mets Digest, guys. Thank you so much for all the engagement and support in the daily Mets content. Now, admittedly, today's video is surrounding an idea that I've heard talked about a little bit, and I just don't know if it's a viable option. However, what I do know is that the Mets must do something kind of significant, not kind of significant, really significant. They have to make a major move at first base. for a variety of reasons. We all know that Pete Alonso left. We all know he was the home run king. And we all know that the Mets did a horrible job of replacing his production in the lineup. We also know that this is an underwhelming free agent class. So the Mets are going to have to be creative. You look at the Japanese market and people are waiting on the edge of their seats for what Teriyaki Sato decides to do. But that's just one guy. And if the Mets fail to acquire him, what does that leave you with? Hoping that Jake Bowers leaves the Brewers, who lost a game last night, may not win the World Series, but they probably will. And even if they don't, there's a good chance he goes back to Milwaukee. So the Mets are really limited here at first base. And then you look at the Philadelphia Phillies. This is a team that has been underachieving the past couple years, and it seems that their World Series window may be coming to a close. So the Mets, with more financial flexibility and might than just about any other team, and all of a sudden with a top half of the league farm system, could be primed to have Harper transform first base. But first off, let's look at Harper's commitment to Philadelphia. He said, from changing positions to coming back early from injury, I show total commitment to my team. And there's no doubt about that. This is a guy who came up as a right fielder, was at least an average defender maybe slightly below average and then injuries kind of moved him to first base along the way but he's been a solid defender at first base and that's not why you'd be getting him you'd be getting him because this is a guy who consistently puts up elite numbers and OPS that you can expect to be in the high 800s and of course he did miss you know a little bit of time this year he hurt his wrist but generally speaking this is a guy whose swing plays this is a guy who's consistent. And when you're thinking of, well, what do the Mets need to do to pair with Juan Soto and get more juice into the lineup? Harper would be a fantastic option here. He has a ton of value. There is no doubt about it. He remains one of baseball's best hitters. And if you look at the first base verdict for the Mets, do you believe Harper would fix first base? Absolutely pursue him or be the price is too high. For me, I think they should absolutely pursue them. I understand the obvious here, which is that the Philadelphia Phillies are the Mets rival and they're going to be asking already for a high price, but an even higher one when you factor in that they don't want to see Harper go to us. However, when you think about the fact that they may be entering a transitory phase and then also considering Harper's in the back half of that deal, they may be trying to get younger. They may be trying to clear up some financial flexibility. How many teams would be in a position to actually give Philadelphia an extensive return for Bryce Harper right now? The list is not very long, but it includes the New York Mets, and that's why given the very limited resources that are on the first base market, if you're David Stearns and you're Steve Cohen and you're looking at this huge weakness in the middle of the Mets lineup as crazy as it sounds going after Bryce Harper makes a lot of sense now the Phillies can be argued to have little reason to trade Harper but again this is a team that needs to do something different they have been failing to get over the hump Dave Dombrowski says we're not looking to deal those guys but there's a reason why he's being asked if they will and you cannot always take a GM's word at face value this could be a negotiating tactic obviously the Phillies value Bryce Harper and he is beloved in the city of Philadelphia but you look at the contract details this is a guy who is signed through 2031 for north of 25 million dollars a year is that someone that they want to continue to commit to long term when the rest of their team is aging out when they could be appearing the end of their window to compete or is this a guy that they want to turn over in order to become younger and prevent a eventual rebuild that's something to think about now it's going to come down to Bryce Harper would he waive his no trade clause for the Mets I believe the answer is yes yes if the Mets contend but I do believe if they went after him they would certainly be making a statement that they are going to contend. Now, Harper's contract is manageable, but not cheap. We looked at it before. There are five years left. It's $25 million. When you look at the kind of production that Bryce Harper is really providing here, this is a bargain. I mean, Lindor is making about $10 million more than that. Soto is making basically twice that. and Soto is the better player than Bryce Harper at this point in time but Harper's probably the better player than Lindor at this point in time especially after the down season Francisco just had and again this is a New York Mets team that despite the disappointment and you know the underwhelming nature of Steve Cohen's tenure has shown that they will spend and take advantage of the hefty pockets of their wealthiest owner in baseball, Steve Cohen. There is some payroll pressure regarding that. The reality is, hey, it's up to me. I've created this situation, right? Those are the words of Dave Dombrowski. The Phillies are amongst the league leaders in spending, but they don't have the pockets the New York Mets have, and continuous top five payrolls not resulting in a championship is creating some tension there the owner has flexibility in Philadelphia uh you know and Dave Dombrowski says the ownership has been as open to doing things as anybody possibly can be but they need off-season flexibility there they probably would have a lot more if they got rid of one of their biggest contracts uh you know there there is a serious question about cost versus upside would you pay the salary and prospect cost obviously you'd be taking on a lot of money and especially considering the Mets are a rival I believe they'd be asking for the moon in terms of prospects so I I think one if not both of Mitch Voigt Jefferson Rojas are gone but I would do it honestly I would very much consider it because you have to look seriously at this first base market and realize that a it is a glaring weakness for this team and b there is not much room for error the Mets need to make a splash they need to make a significant upgrade at first base and they don't have a lot of options to do that so let me know what you guys would prefer for the Mets first base plan are you with making the Harper call would you target a realistic alternative whether that be Teruaki Sato or Jake Bowers or build a platoon there's been talks of maybe a right-handed platoon with Jared Young and i like Jared Young but to me he is not a suitable everyday player he's a fine bench piece but i don't want to build a solution centered around him that's my personal take and i understand targeting a realistic alternative but there's just not that many out there so comment below let me know what you guys think. And as always, guys, let's go Mets.