Could New York Mets Try to Lure Two-Time All Star Slugger Away From A's?

The New York Mets already have one of the best offenses in baseball, ranking No.

6 in wRC+ (108), but they also rank 15th in runs scored (445) and 8th in home runs (134).

They're likely to target bullpen arms this trade deadline, but MLB insider Joel Sherman presented an idea that the Mets could try luring A's designated hitter Brent Rooker away from the green and gold in exchange for a slew of prospects.

Of course, the A's would prefer to keep Rooker, and there has been no reporting done to this point that any of the team's key offensive bats are available, but at the same time, Rooker is a 30-year-old DH on a roster filled with rookies and fairly inexperienced players.

If the A's were closer to contention, perhaps he'd serve a bigger role to getting them to the postseason.

Right now, the A's are just trying to get to .500 in the near future.

The A's and Rooker agreed to an extension before the year began for five years and $60 million, making him the face of the franchise as the team continues their march towards Las Vegas.

Trading Rooker wouldn't be the best PR move, but if it helped the team become more competitive on a shorter timeline (or by 2028), then they would have to consider it.

While Rooker's name hasn't been mentioned in rumors to date, the fact that the club is willing to listen to huge offers for former All Star closer Mason Miller should mean that not too many players are completely untouchable.

The two that could come to mind are rookies Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson.

Outside of them, anyone may be fair game for the right price.

Rooker's deal with the A's runs through 2029 and has a vesting option for 2030 that is connected to his MVP finishes from 2025-29.

Miller is also under team control through 2029, though he'll be arbitration eligible.

One name that could perk up the A's front office would be right-hander Nolan McLean, the Mets No.

3 overall prospect.

He has a huge 70-grade slider and has posted a 3.04 ERA across 64 1/3 innings in Triple-A Syracuse.

While his walk rate has been sitting at 10.8% this season, he's been consistent with that rate at nearly every level.

He's also striking out 26.4% of hitters and holds a 54.9% ground ball rate, which are definitely helpful characteristics for any pitcher the A's acquire, since the ball tends to fly a little more in West Sacramento.

Ground balls and strikeouts should lead to more success at home.

Obviously McLean would be a big ask, given the contract that Rooker is signed to, but the A's DH could also serve as a big right-handed bat in the Mets lineup that could effectively replace Pete Alonso if he decides to walk this off-season.

The Mets would also have both big righties in their lineup in the postseason this year, which would make them a daunting lineup to face in October.

Since the A's aren't necessarily looking to move Rooker or his contract, it would take more than McLean headed back to West Sacramento to get a potential deal done, but he would certainly be a nice starting point in trade conversations.

Carson Benge's outfield arm certainly wouldn't hurt either, as the A's are also attempting to improve their defense around the diamond.

If the A's get a deal that's to their liking for Mason Miller , then perhaps they decide to dig in a little deeper and move Rooker as well.

He's a big part of the team's offense, but if they could get more pieces for him to speed up the rebuild while opening up the DH spot, then they may have to take it under consideration..

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