Mets Trade Prediction Would Send $73 Million Ace to New York in Five-Player Swap

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The New York Mets have been busy rebuilding their starting rotation this winter. President of baseball operations David Stearns has signed Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea and Clay Holmes to multi-year deals. He’s also signed Griffin Canning to a one-year contract. Could a trade for Minnesota Twins ace Pablo López be on the horizon? Despite these acquisitions, some uncertainty remains within this area of New York’s roster. Montas missed virtually all of 2023 with an injury and posted a 4.84 ERA in 150 2/3 innings in 2024. Holmes has been named an All-Star twice in the past three seasons, but he’s exclusively been a relief pitcher since 2019. MINNEAPOLIS, MN – SEPTEMBER 27: Pablo Lopez #49 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Baltimore Orioles on September 27, 2024 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. MINNEAPOLIS, MN – SEPTEMBER 27: Pablo Lopez #49 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Baltimore Orioles on September 27, 2024 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images Bringing López into the fold would give the Mets a solid trio between him, Manaea and Kodai Senga to lead the pitching staff. While he posted a 4.08 ERA in 185 1/3 innings in 2024, that number settled in at 3.57 through 476 2/3 innings between 2021 and 2023. What might it take for the Mets to convince the Twins to deal the right-handed hurler? Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer put together the following hypothetical trade between both sides: – Mets receive: right-handed pitcher Pablo López and catcher Christian Vázquez – Twins receive: left-handed pitcher David Peterson, shortstop Jett Williams and outfielder Drew Gilbert Williams (second) and Gilbert (third) are both top five prospects in the Mets’ system, according to MLB.com. However, adding Peterson and taking on Vázquez could allow New York to hold onto its top prospect, right-handed pitcher Brandon Sproat. López is in the middle of a four-year, $73.5 million deal. He’s not scheduled to reach free agency until after the 2027 campaign. His annual salary will be $21.75 million each year from 2025-27. More MLB: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s ‘Likeliest’ Trade Destination Could Be AL East Rival