Mets, Royals Discussed Starling Marte Earlier This Offseason

The Royals showed interest in Starling Marte earlier in the offseason, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post .

Those talks obviously didnt produce a deal, but Sherman adds that Kansas City hasnt completely closed the door on the possibility.

Theres no indication talks are active, but its nevertheless notable that the Royals are still interested to an extent.

It shows that Kansas City is still weighing options to bring in an outfield bat and that they perhaps have some financial flexibility even with a player payroll thats nearly $20MM north of last years spending levels.

Of course, the Royals wouldnt be taking on the entirety of Martes salary in a trade.

The 36-year-old is entering the final season of a four-year, $78MM contract and is owed $19.5MM in 2025.

Coming off a pedestrian .269/.327/.388 batting line (104 wRC+), Marte is no longer productive enough for another team to have interest in taking on the full freight of his salary.

The Mets have reportedly been willing to pay down a portion of that $19.5MM.

Health is another factor to consider.

Marte missed the final seven weeks of the 2023 season with a groin strain and was out for nearly two months last summer due to a bone bruise in his right knee.

Hes been hobbled by ongoing discomfort in that same knee this spring and has yet to appear in a game.

Manager Carlos Mendoza did suggest yesterday that Marte could get into a game within the next few days ( link via Newsdays Tim Healey ), but presumably any team looking into the possibility of acquiring him would want to see the veteran outfielder get into a few games to demonstrate that hes healthy enough to be considered likely for Opening Day.

The Royals interest in Marte makes some sense on paper.

Theyve been looking for an outfield bat for much of the offseason and have come up empty.

The Royals have looked into various trade targets and reportedly made offers to free agents Anthony Santander and Jurickson Profar , who instead signed with the Blue Jays and Braves, respectively.

Last years primary outfield of MJ Melendez , Kyle Isbel and Hunter Renfroe was among the least-productive outfield groups in all of MLB.

The Royals plan to give trade acquisition Jonathan India and infielder Michael Massey some work in left field this season, but the broad outfield outlook remains bleak if they cant get a long-awaited Melendez breakout and/or a return to form for the veteran Renfroe.

When the two sides talked earlier in the offseason, per Sherman, the Mets expressed interest in Royals relievers Hunter Harvey and Angel Zerpa .

Kansas City understandably didnt have interest in moving a quality reliever to buy low on an expensive veteran in his mid-30s.

Unless the Mets are willing to take on the second season of a two-year deal for Chris Stratton , who hasnt panned out as hoped in K.C., its hard to envision them prying a member of the Royals bullpen away in a Marte swap.

Harvey was excellent for much of the 2024 season but struggled in July before landing on the injured list with what proved to be a season-ending back issue in August.

Hes being paid $3.7MM this year in his final season of club control.

Zerpa isnt even arb-eligible yet and is controllable through 2028.

He posted a 3.86 ERA with a 20.5% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate and massive 58.4% grounder rate in 2024.

Both are in line to play notable roles for manager Matt Quatraro.

This article first appeared on MLB Trade Rumors and was syndicated with permission..

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