Maybe some other teams fancy joining in with the MLB offseason.
There was a major offseason move on Monday. It, of course, involved the New York Mets and San Diego Padres.
San Diego acquired Joe Musgrove from the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Padres gave up Hunter Head, their eighth-best prospect. Endy Rodriguez, David Bednar, Omar Cruz and Drake Fellows were also in the deal as the Pirates restock their farm system by trading yet another talented Major League player.
The Mets picked up lefty starter Joey Lucchesi in the pact – Rodriguez was sent to the Pirates as their part of the deal. Lucchesi brings starting depth to a Mets team without Noah Syndergaard for the opening months of the 2021 campaign.
The Padres and Mets have already taken advantage of this glacial speed offseason. New York acquired Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco at what looked to be a bargain price. San Diego did the same with Blake Snell and Yu Darvish.
Mets and Padres actually try to win
Being willing to take on salary is the market inefficiency this offseason. The Mets and Padres are happy to do so. They have already built contending rosters by just that, and it doesn’t seem like they are done yet. San Diego is still pursuing Jurickson Profar, and the Mets could yet land George Springer.
It’s a fun time to be a Mets or Padres fan. There are broader questions to be asked, however, about how two teams are dominating this offseason. Why aren’t other front offices seizing this opportunity? How many owners are willing to put their money on the table this winter? It seems like only a handful.
The Mets and Padres are doing the right thing. This trade further improved the Padres rotation, which was already one of the best in baseball. The Mets, for a very low price, added a useful lefty.
Hopefully some other owners and general managers realise how easy it is to get better this offseason. The National League risks being incredibly top heavy in 2021 as it stands.
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