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The delayed or cancelled 2020 MLB season will change a lot. It will hit the league hard financially, and could lead to some high-profile trades, including New York Mets star outfielder Michael Conforto.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post touched on the idea recently. The Mets are a big market team, and should be protected from the impact of coronavirus more than others, but they aren’t notoriously big spenders. A hit to revenue from this season could impact their team building long-term.
Of course, everything in sport, and the wider world, is in a cloud of uncertainty right now. That is exaggerated for arbitration players like Conforto. The Mets don’t know how much he’ll earn in 2020 and beyond. Despite coming off a great 2019, the lefty slugger could fall into ‘trade asset’ category in the coming months. The Mets have the outfield depth in JD Davis, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil to cover for such a move.
While the Mets’ front office is oft-criticised, trading Conforto for salary reasons would still be a shock. It would be analysed to the extreme, it would be torn apart. Maybe it would be a mistake, but if it were to happen, it might just be a reaction to a new normal in MLB. Perhaps the financial impact of COVID-19 will change how teams are run; could it lead to a string of rebuilds?
In theory, the big market teams should be better protected. Already, though, the Mets don’t always behave like a financial juggernaut. They have a hefty payroll, but their spending is markedly more restrained than others in recent years. If a New York-based team is looking to deal one of their best players for financial reasons, what other All-Star calibre players could be on the trade market?
Conforto will be a popular player if he hits the trade market. We could be seeing his name in trade rumours a lot in the coming months. There are eyebrows raised when a player of his talent is on the block, but it might not be as extraordinary as it seems.
