It all seems copacetic with the New York Mets. Drama has been manufactured by twisting words of Juan Soto, but other than that small hiccup where context lacked in the headline, there hasn’t been much public chaos. Up in Boston, they have bigger things to worry about than the Celtics being down 2-0 to the Knicks.
When we think of divas in baseball, it usually has to do with a player’s refusal to play a particular position. Starting pitchers moving to the bullpen will voice their frustration or even refusal publicly. The Boston Red Sox are something more extreme with star Rafael Devers refusing to move over to first base.
The longtime third baseman had his position usurped by the signing of Alex Bregman this offseason. The drama never seems to end with him, originally claiming he would not play if he wasn’t the third baseman. Triston Casas’ injury has opened up the door for more anarchy. A trade with the Mets might be able to end the dilemma.
The Mets have two players the Red Sox could have interest in to become their new first baseman
The Mets and Red Sox made multiple trades in the 2023-2024 offseason and throughout the year. Many were on a small scale. Eddy Alvarez and Pablo Reyes both came to the Mets organization via trade with Boston. They received a few players from New York as well. Justin Slaten was the most notable.
David Stearns wasn’t going to get caught with a lack of depth at first base. In the winter, he brought in Joey Meneses on a minor league deal. More recently, he inked Jon Singleton to a minor league deal as well.
Two very different players when they’re at their best, neither is a sensational big league hitter guaranteed to stick at the position for the remainder of 2025 for the Red Sox. There’s a reason why they had to sign minor league deals with a team that employs Pete Alonso.
But the Red Sox can’t get picky. If Devers isn’t going to make it easy, they’re going to need to explore all options. This is a team that gave Dominic Smith ample at-bats even with a poor track record. They shouldn’t be above doing the same with Meneses or Singleton, as long as Stearns is willing to lend a helping hand.
Neither big league veteran is going to net the Mets anything of significance in a trade. The Red Sox could wait until an opt out in their contract appears. Typically, those happen around the end or beginning of a new month. There’s a long way to go in May and if they’re serious about trying something, cutting a deal with the Mets that’ll probably involve the lowest level of prospect or some cash considerations is the best we could hope for.
Meneses went into Thursday batting .259/.320/.405 with 15 doubles, no home runs, and 19 in 128 trips to the plate. In his 115 plate appearances, Singleton had 7 home runs and 18 RBI to go with a .239/.391/.489 slash line. The fact that Singleton swings from the left side might have more appeal considering it’s a lefty he’d be replacing at first base.
May trades tend to be on this scale. But be warned. The Mets acquired Luis Torrens last May in a trade with the New York Yankees. Viewed as minor league depth in the Bronx, he has turned into an incredibly valuable major league piece.