Mets and Padres Are Talking BLOCKBUSTER Trades | Who Should They Be After, and What’s OFF the Table?

Mets and Padres Are Talking BLOCKBUSTER Trades | Who Should They Be After, and What’s OFF the Table?

The Mets and Padres’s are currently in trade talks for a multitude of players. What deal makes the most sense for both sides? You are Locked on Mets, your daily New York Mets podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. Hello to all you amazing Mets fans. You’re listening to Locked On Mets, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Thank you for making Locked On Mets your first listen every day. And thank you for making Locked On the number one sports podcast network. On the show today, we’re going to be talking about the Mets and the Padres’s who are apparently talking trades right now. In the first segment, we’re going to break down which of the relievers the New York Mets should be targeting. Is it at the top of the market with Mason Miller getting a potential closer or are they better off trying to shoot for more realistic trade target and Adrien Moraone a setup man? Second segment we’re going to talk about the starting pitcher on the board for the Padres’s which is Nick Paveta as well as the outfielder Raone Lauraniano. Then the final segment we’re going to go through some mocks. What do the Mets have that would interest the Padres’s and can we find a deal that makes sense for both teams? Before we get to any of that though, I’m your host Ryan Ficklestein. I’ve been covering the New York Mets on this show since the 2019 season. This is the number one daily podcast on the New York Mets. Want to find any of my written work, you can do so over at justbaseball.com, where I work as the editorinchief. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet just $5. If your bet wins, get $300 in bonus bets used across the app. Download FanDuel today. First and foremost, for those of you watching on YouTube, happy to be back in person and no longer doing audio only shows. Had a great vacation. Came back now and you might hear it in my voice a little bit. still still kind of getting through the tail end of a cold, but excited to be back here doing a show in the locked on Met studio and to really finally dive into that rumor that’s been out there that everyone’s talking about that the Mets and the Padres’s are doing a lot of trade discussion right now as these are teams that have some overlapping needs. For the Padres’s, they have a lack of depth. For the Mets, they have an overabundance of depth, but they need some high-end players, which the Padres’s have between three relievers that are very intriguing. A top starting pitcher and a corner outfielder. Again, we’re starting with the relievers, and there’s no better place to start than Mason Miller. The New York Mets were reportedly in on Mason Miller at the trade deadline. something that we really didn’t know about until these recent speculations have come out between the Mets and the Padres’s that this was a target for the Mets. And boy would it have been an incredible trade to make because had the Mets traded for Mason Miller, who knows what a different reality we’re living in right now. Because if the Mets got Mason Miller, they would have made the playoffs 100%. Because they wouldn’t have traded for Ryan Hley. Who knows? They might not have traded for Tyler Rogers either, but Mason Miller after the trade deadline with the Padres’s in 23 and a third innings pitched had a 0.77 RA and struck out 54.2% of the batters that he faced. This is the guy that averages 101 miles per hour in his fast ball, can get it up to 105. He is just an incredible flamethrower with a devastating slider that might be a better pitch than his amazing fast ball. It’s basically taking Edwin Diaz, but you put him in a bigger body. You had him throwing harder, and it’s the same fast ball slider combination that has been so devastating that we’ve watched for years. This is a guy that could be the best reliever in baseball. Has he been there yet at this point? If you look at the ERA at the end of the seasons, maybe not necessarily, but when it just comes to pure stuff, you’d be hardressed to find a better reliever than Mason Miller. and he comes with four years of control. So to trade for Mason Miller after he was already traded for, you know, five months ago or whatever it is at this point, it it it boggles the mind. And we’ll try to get into M trades in the final segment to see what makes sense. But you have to remember it wasn’t just a really good prospect that went back the other way in the Mason Miller trade. It was a top 10 prospect in baseball. Now, for the Padres’s, you have a then 18-year-old shortstop. Just turned 19, I believe, in October. But you have an 18-year-old shortstop for a team that is always just win now, win now, win now. And the Padres’s are always flipping prospects. So, they said fine, we’ll send you Leo Dere. But this is again a top 10 prospect in baseball at Just Baseball. We ranked him at number seven in a most recent update because in double A at the end of the season and again this kid was 18 in double A he had a 910 OPS in a little over 20 games and he made it up to double A as a teenager. So that was a massive piece that went from the Padre to the Athletics and now you have to compete with that pass package. And the problem with trading for Mason Miller because not only was it just Leo Dere, you had JP Sears that went with Mason Miller in the trade. So it wasn’t just Mason Miller, but JP Sears a backend, you know, rotation arm. There was also three pitching prospects that went in the deal. These weren’t top 100 prospects, but still three arms went from San Diego to the Athletics in that trade. So you are competing with that past trade. And I think part of that trade for the Padres’s was I think they had every intention of stretching out Mason Miller and having him be a starting pitcher in 2026. They were not only trading for their closer or not closer because they had Robert Suarez, but an elite setup man to just make their Super Bowl bullpen that much more super, but they also thought that he was going to be a starting pitcher, I believe, which is why they said, “Yeah, screw it. We’ll trade Leo Dere because Mason Miller could be our ace in 2026 when we desperately need starting pitching. Why is he on the trade block right now? Because Mason Miller does not want to be a starter. That’s why. Otherwise, I don’t think Mason Miller’s on the board because they’re talking instead about how Mason Miller is going to stretch out and they’re hoping he could be their ace. This is a guy that had a UCL injury in 2023. He debuted as a starter, had the UCL injury, mild sprain of the UCL that happened early May, didn’t come back until September, and came back as a reliever and has stayed a reliever since. He has said, according to I think it was Eric Kratz on foul territory, but it’s also been sort of reported out there otherwise that you he was asked directly by Eric Kratz at the All-Star break, would you want to be a starter again? And he said no. I think Mason Miller is happy with the role that he’s found. He’s great at it. Closers get paid. He’s going to get paid in arbitration, assuming he gets the save opportunities and racks up the numbers that he needs. He’ll get paid big time throughout arbitration. And then he’ll let free agency and Edwin Diaz just showed him he can make $23 million per season. And with just prices always going up, there’s every chance that Mason Miller when he’s a free agent can get $25 million per. I get that there is a much higher price tag that he can reach if he’s a starting pitcher, but if he doesn’t want to do it, well, now what are the Podgers going to do with this asset? Are they going to hang on to him and just make him their closer, which probably is the most likely outcome, or could they flip him? And the Mets then could get a closer with four years of control that would completely absolve them of the Edwin Diaz fiasco. and you’d have Mason Miller and Devin Williams in your bullpen for the next three years and Miller for a fourth year because he still has that much control. That’s the guy you want. But I don’t know how you compete with the pass package that the Padres’s gave up to get him and how you get a deal done for what is ultimately still just a reliever. Then you get to Adrien Actually, I’m jumping over Jeremiah Estrada because I don’t have much notes there. Jeremiah Estrada also comes with four years of control. To me, Jeremiah Estrada is, you know, you can more realistically trade for him because you don’t have that past trade to compare it to that. You know, Padres’s fans, not that AJ Prowler cares what Padres’s fans think, but just in general to to have given up Leo Deere for Mason Miller, it’s going to be tough to stomach not getting Jonah Tong back. Jeremiah Estrada, you’re fine not getting Jonah Tong back because it’s just a reliever that you develop that you’re flipping and he does not have the closer background. He’s been very good. 295 ERA in 2024, 345 RA in 2025. Has pitched plenty of innings. Strikeout rate over 35% in each of the past two years. Averages 97.9 miles per hour in his fast ball. Pairs it with a nasty split and a really good slider. He had whiff rates over 40% on each of those pitches. So, another really good option for the Mets bullpen and maybe an easier one to attain than Mason Miller, but again, it’s a reliever with four years of control. How do you get to that value? We’ll talk about that more in the final segment. To me, Adrien Morahon is the guy that makes the most sense. I’ve been talking about the Mets training for Adrien Morahon all off season. When I was trying to find a trade out there where you can send Mark Ventos and get a piece back, I said maybe just trading for Adrian Doesn’t feel great to move Vientos with four years of control for a rental, but a damn good one when you’re talking about a left-handed reliever that’s averaging nearly 98 miles per hour in his fast ball, who’s a ground ball machine because his fast ball is a sinker. And that’s really his primary pitch. He also has a good slider, which makes him devastating against lefties, but he has a change up and he is able to get anybody out, lefties or righties. He is a workhorse. 75 appearances this past season, had a 208 erra. I mean, Asia Marone to me is the perfect fit for the Mets bullpen, and I think he’s the guy they should be acquiring. The funny thing is he’s actually the youngest of the three arms, but because his service time clock began earlier than Estrada with the Padres’s. I think Estrada actually was acquired by the Padres’s. I had to look into that more. But regardless, because was called up so early at 20 years old to make his debut, he is the closest to free agency again after this upcoming season, but he’s still only 26 years old. That’s the guy that I really want. But in the final segment, we will do some mocks both on Mason Miller and on And then again, Estrada, you just sort of think maybe 80 cents on the dollar for what you’d pay for Mason Miller. Maybe it’s even 75 to 70 cents on the dollar in terms of prospect capital just because the name is not as big, but it’s still a potential elite setup man with four years of control, which is tough to trade for. Next segment, we got to talk about the guy that I think the Mets probably need the most, and that’s Nick Paveta. But we’ll also cover Raone Lauraniano. So, we’re get to both those guys here in just a minute. Today’s episode’s brought to you by FanDuel. NFL Sundays move fast. One big play and suddenly everything feels different. That’s what makes live betting with FanDuel so exciting. You’re not just watching the game, you’re reacting to it in real time. And with FanDuel, you can place live bets as the action unfolds. Every drive, every momentum swing, every highlight moment. Live betting is best when the game starts to shift. a receiver gets hot, a defense tightens up, or the momentum flips after a turnover. FanDuel’s going to let you jump into that moment with live spreads and money lines that adjust instantly. You have player props that update as guys start to heat up, and you can bet on who’s going to score the next touchdown. You can bet on drive results, totals, and more. It keeps you locked into every snap, every drive, every possibility. So, if you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit fanuel.com and place your NFL bets all season long. That’s FanDuel. The game moves fast and so can you. Thank you for making lockdown match your first listen every day. And thank you for making Lockdown the number one sports podcast network. You’re already live, your team every day. Now take it up a level and go add free. Join the Everyday Club today and get locked on Mets with no interruptions, members only Discord access and more. All for just $5 a month or $50 a year. Go to lockedonmets.supcast.com or check the link in the show notes to learn more. Now, Nick Paveta is the most interesting piece I think the Padres’s have to offer because it fills a a need the Mets desperately have to address, and that is getting a dependable arm to slide into their rotation. Pavetta was top 10 in Sai Young voting this past year. He had a great season with the Padres’s. He pitched to a 287 RA across 181 and two third innings pitched. That was in 31 starts. He finally lived up to the hype of being a guy that had the great stuff that was having the great strikeout numbers, the low walk rate, pitching a bunch of innings, but he could never get that ERA under four with the Red Sox. Finally, he got under four and actually got under three. You’re talking about a big 6 foot5 right-handed pitcher who doesn’t necessarily throw hard, only averaged about 94 miles per hour on his fast ball, but that pitch plays up so much better because of the same thing that makes Jonah Tong’s fastball elite, and that is the induced vertical break. That is that rise on the fast ball that is so tough for hitters to get to up in the zone. Nick Paveta is a master at that and he pairs that with a couple of really good breaking balls. A curveball and a sweeper are the primary other op offerings off of the fast ball. I guess the top secondaries that he has. He also has a cutter and he mixes in some other pitches, but for the most part you’re talking about that fast ball with ride and then you have the curveball and the sweeper giving you a couple different breaking balls from different planes that can really keep hitters off of balance. When it comes to fast ball run value this past season, he was in the 98th percentile. When it comes to breaking ball run value, he was in the 97th percentile. So, if you’re just talking about what’s coming out of the hand, this guy has potentially elite stuff and he was able to finally put it all together this past season. But there is a lot of interesting nuances that come with a Nick Paveta trade because you can make a case that he’s a rental. Nick Pavetta signed a very interesting contract with the Padres’s late in the offseason last year because he was tagged with a qualifying offer from the Red Sox after the 2024 season. And there were not many teams that are willing to forfeit draft capital to get Nick Paveta. The Padres’s were and they were able to sign him to a deal that had him pitching for basically nothing this past season. $4 million is all he made in 2025 to pitch to the sub3 RA in over 180 innings. He made $2.5 million in salary and he got half of a $3 million signing bonus. The other half the Padres’s have already paid or will pay this off season. What he is owed is $19 million in 2026. He then has an opt out on two more years valued at $14 million in 2027 than $18 million in 2028. The problem with this contract is there is a lot of risk in the sense of if Pavet is great, he’s gone. It’s a rental. If he’s not good, he can opt in for 14 million, which isn’t bad. But if he’s bad again, you’ve had him in your rotation two years and he has been bad in 2026 and bad in 2027. Guess what? Here’s the kicker. Now you get hit with an $18 million option. This is a contract the Padres’s always knew that they were going to trade. So that is why he’s on the block right now. But you have to take into account the lack of long-term team control when you’re trying to figure out what he is worth to the New York Mets when it comes to what you trade for him. The final piece to talk about before we get into some mock trades is Ramon Lauraniano. Lauraniano was once known more for his glove, but had a couple good seasons in Oakland, got suspended for PDs in 2021, struggled mightily in 2022 and 2023, and then was absolutely brutal to start the 2024 season with the Guardians. Ends up getting to Atlanta, and in 67 games down the stretch, he posted an 832 OPS. had a great, you know, final couple months there in Atlanta. Signs a two-year $10.5 million deal with the Orioles. They had a $6.5 million club option for the upcoming season. So, only made four million last year. Went out, had another really strong season, building off of what he did in that shorter season with the Braves. He hit .290 with the Orioles, 355 on base, 529 slug, 15 homers in 82 games. His WRC plus was 145. So he was 45% better than your league average hitter. The Padres’s trade for him and Ryan O’Harn. The OPS did drop off a little bit from 884 with the Orioles to 812 with the Padres’s, but still above average production out in the outfield. He finished the season with 24 home runs at 132 games and he drove in 76. Now he turned 31 years old in July. Again, he’s making $6.5 million this upcoming season. I want to caution that he is not some elite defensive outfielder just because he used to play center. He’s good. He would be an upgrade over Brandon Nemo athletically. He’s got a much better arm. He’s a little bit faster. But if you look at the defensive metrics between left field and right field because he sort of split playing time between both spots, Raone Lauraniano combined to have seven defensive runs saved and negative nine outs above average. Brandon NMO was worth four defensive runs saved and zero outs above average. So when it came to the rangebased metric, funny enough, NMO was better defensive runs saved. Oriana was better, but I don’t think that this is the great defensive upgrade that you might have been looking for in the outfield. He is a nice stop gap to allow you to buy time for some of your prospects. But if you get Lauraniano, what’s next for the Mets? Are you now out on Cody Bellinger or are you signing Cody Bellinger in what? You’re starting Bellinger in center and you’re buying more time for Carson Benj. Okay, that that can help. But when Benj is ready, potentially as soon as opening day, but maybe even a couple weeks or a month or so into the season. If Benj is in center, Lauriano’s in left, you’re moving Bellinger to first. Well, now I think that mitigates a lot of his value. His value comes from being an elite corner outfielder. If you sign Bellinger, you want him in left and you don’t want Raone Lauraniano in center. So, I have a problem with this, not just for the Bellinger side of it, but to me, if you were to trade for Raone Lauraniano, I’d be very concerned that that would be it. That would be your starting lineup. And I know that Juan Sodto could be an offense all to himself. And I like the Jorge Palano addition, but what are you doing? Lindor Sodto Palano, is that your one through three? Who’s batting cleanup? Is it Ventos still or is Vantos in the trade? Is it Mauricio? Is Ramone Lauraniano? Is it Brett Batty? Is it Francisco Alvarez? It shouldn’t be Marcus Simeon. Simeon, in my opinion, shouldn’t be in the top four of your lineup. Hasn’t had a good year in a while. Now, maybe he has a little bit of a fountain of youth situation here with a change of scenery. and maybe Marcus Simeon can be a top of the order bat for you to lengthen that lineup. But I I just don’t love the idea of your third best hitter being Jorge Palano. I’d like the Mets to get a better bat and that’s going to be something we have to talk about later this week. I don’t know where that comes from if you’re not signing Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger. So that’s where this is interesting for me when it comes to Lauraniano side of things. If you were just to say, okay, who’s the if you put Lauriano in the free agent market, where would he slot in on corner outfielders, he’d be right behind Tucker and Bellinger, but there’s a big gap in my mind between those guys and Lauraniano. I just I I think that he’s not good enough. He doesn’t have a long enough track record of being this type of an offensive bat for me to buy completely in. And he doesn’t do enough defensively where I think the floor is high enough where I think this is a huge upgrade for the Mets. Yes, it’s an upgrade over Jeff McNeel, but I just I don’t know. I don’t love the idea of Raone Lauraniano being the piece the Mets target. I like the Padres’s pitching. And that’s where I want to focus in the final segment here when I’m going to create some odd trades. Can the Mets actually pull off a Mason Miller trade or even better a Mason Miller, Nick Paveta trade, or is there something more realistic that they can shoot for? We’re going to get to all that here in just a minute. Today’s episode’s brought to you by Game Time. The World Cup is coming back to North America for the first time since 1994. And with 48 teams competing for the first time ever, it’s going to be massive. But let’s be honest, getting tickets, it’s usually the hardest part. 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Terms apply again. Download the app, make an account, use the code lock MLB for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go game time. If you’re watching on YouTube, do me a favor and hit that subscribe button. Help us get closer to our next goal of 16,000 subscribers. So, let’s talk about mock trades. First and foremost, what do the Padres’s need? They need starting pitching. They need cheap starting pitching actually to make that even a little bit more uh of a specific need. They also need a first base DH type. They have Gavin Sheets. He played more left field last year but also played some first. They can have him slotted in there. If they trade Raone Lauraniano to the Mets or to another team, Sheets can go back out into left and then they have first base open. They also have DH open. So, there’s a lot that they need when it comes to bats along with filling out that rotation. The only thing that they’re stocked in right now is their bullpen. Now, if they move Jay Croninworth, which is also a possibility, he’s on the block. They’re going to need help at second base. They also need a bench, like an entire bench, outfielders, infielders, a backup catcher even. I mean, this team just needs a bunch. Like Luis Terren, who actually started off in San Diego, would be a better starter than Freddy Fine. It would be an intriguing piece for the Padres. So, there’s so many different players that the Mets could put on the table that would help the Padres’s next season, but for trying to figure out what they really want, starting pitching is first and foremost what they’re going to be after. And there’s four different pitchers that jump out for that the Mets have. And I I know we can talk Jack Wener, Jonathan Santu, some of the pitching prospects. They want big league impact right now. That’s what they want. So here are the four options to trade the two top pitching prospects that are on the table which is not Nolan Mlan Jonah Tong or Brandon Sprro. Would you trade those guys for Miller or Paveta? We’ll get into it. Then you have the guys that are in your big league rotation who are on the block. David Peterson is projected to make a little over $7 million in arbitration and Kodai Seno who makes $14 million, but the Mets could retain $10 million of his salary for the upcoming season which would make him very attractive to the Padres’s because it’s a $4 million bet on Kodai Sen to be erased. It’s pretty much what they just did with Nick Paveta for a guy that has as good if not better stuff than Nick Paveta. less of a tracker going to throw in innings which they need but Kodi Sanga could be their ace. I think that’s a very attractive trade ship to AJ Pller who’s always looking at who can help me win at the highest possible level right now and Sega would do that when it comes to Mets bats. Ventos, Mauricio, either of those guys could make a lot of sense as costcontrolled big power bats that would really help the Padres’s. Akuna makes sense as a bench piece for them. Nick Morabido makes sense as a fourth outfielder for them who would just add to the Mets 40. Of course, if you’re talking about some of your top prospects, Jet Williams, Ryan Clifford, Jacob Rhymer, AJ Ewing, all those guys would be intriguing to the Padres’s in a potential Mason Miller trade, for example. especially a Jet Williams because his proximity to the big leagues as well as Ryan Clifford. But I I’m sure if they could get their hands on AJ Euing, they would be thrilled. So, let’s start with Mason Miller. Jonah Tong is the headliner and I think he has to be in the deal because you gave up Leo Dere to get Mason Miller and that was a top 10 prospect in baseball. You sort of need a top 50 prospect in baseball to make it make sense to move him. Now, I think if you’re trying to get Jeremiah Estrada, Brandon Sprro can be the headliner, but do you want to trade six years of a starting pitcher for a reliever if you’re the Mets? Are you putting Jonah Tong on the table for Mason Miller alone? That that’s where we have to start. And I think you would, but how much more do I have to put on top of that? Because to me, it’s a guy that has ace potential, Jonah Tong. He’s got the floor of being clearly a big league starter. Six years of control for the most dominant pitcher in minor league baseball last year who the Padres’s could let learn in the big leagues if they wanted to or it’s a little bit of time in TripleA. But knowing the Padres’s, he’d be right in that big league rotation with the upside and the control to be a piece that the Padres’s just don’t have. They don’t have any pitching prospects that come close to Jonah Tong, even come close to Brandon Sprro for that matter. So, you can’t discount what it would mean for the Padres’s to get Jonah Tong. And I do wonder, you know, how much that moves the needle, but I don’t think you can do a one for one either. So, you have to put more on top. And I don’t think the Mets should feel like they should put more on top to get Mason Miller. I know that sounds crazy, but I just it’s hard to move Jonah Tong. I I tweeted out over the weekend something about who I would put Jonah Tong on the table for and it was four names, really five, but I combined two of my second one. You had Ter Scubble, which is obvious, right? Best pitcher on the planet right now or second best if you like Paul Ske more. A guy that completely changed the complexion of your team next year. you’d have to consider trading Jonah Tong even for a rental. Freddy Peralta, Joe Ryan, those two guys would be great in the Mets rotation. To me though, I’m not putting Jonah Tong on the table unless I have a good idea I can extend either of those pitchers. And ideally, anyone who listens to the show long enough knows I like Peralta more. Then you have Mason Miller where I think you’d have to consider it because of what he could mean to your team that’s trying to win now for the next four years. An elite closer can do a lot for you. I I still don’t love it, but I I’d understand it. Then you have Jared Durant, the one legitimate allstar center fielder I think you could acquire this off season. That’s that’s it right there. Okay, that those are the the limited pieces that I consider trading Jonah Tong for. So now if we try to make the trade, I I just can’t do the math on it. It just it’s so tough to figure out how you pull off a trade for Mason Miller. But maybe if you get Nick Paveta in there now, I can start to get my head around trading Jonah Tom because now I’ve addressed my rotation and I’ve gotten a closer. I’ve gotten what could be my ace and a closer in one trade. So, I’m giving up all the control in Jonah Tong. What else do I trade? David Peterson would slot right into the Padres’s rotation or it’s the Kodai Sanga plus cash piece. You got floor with Peterson, ceiling with Sanga. Pick one. Mark Ventos goes the other way. Gives them a first baseman or a DH, wherever you want to put them, but a big bat for the middle of the line. They’re going to bend the bounce back. And then I got Jet Williams going back giving them a guy that if they trade Jay Cronworth, heck, the way that Pllor operates, start Jet Williams at second base on opening day. It’s two bats in their starting lineup and two arms in their opening day starting rotation for four years of Mason Miller and a year of Nick Paveta with the options that are player friendly. Padres’s fans will tell me that that’s not enough. I promise you. Mets fans would say it’s too much, which usually means it’s a good trade if both sides hate it, but if both fan bases hate it in particular. But it’s a weird one because you’re getting Jonah Tong and Jet Williams, two top 100 prospects, depending on your list, two top 50 prospects in baseball. That’s good enough for a Mason Miller trade. and you throw Paveta in there and then you’re also getting David Peterson, Mark Ventos, guys that yeah aren’t incredible pieces. They don’t have a ton of trade value. But big league bodies the Padres’s desperately need. So to me, if I’m the Padres’s, I’m pulling the trigger on that trade. For the Mets, you’re giving up six years of control in Jonah Tong. You’re giving up a big bat in a lineup that needs big bats in Mark Vantos and a guy in Jet Williams that could be part of your outfield. He could be your second baseman. There’s a lot of ways that you can use Jet Williams in the future. I don’t know if this is the trade for him. And I don’t even know if I mentioned, but you have Peterson, too. Like a guy that can eat a bunch of innings for you next year. It’s a tough one. It’s really tough to get my head around trading for Paveta and Miller and just trading for Mason Miller in general. I feel like he has too much trade value where if the Mets are going to trade for Mason Miller, they should just put those pieces on the table and get Scooble and throw $400 million at him and see if they can make Scott Boris blank. That’s what I would do. If you’re going to meet the trade value for Mason Miller, put that on the table and get Scooble or put less on the table and get Jiren Durant. See if you could do Jonah Talling for Jiren Durant straight up. I did that. The Red Sox might consider that honestly. And you get a guy and I know Mets fans hate Jiren Durant. I’ve learned that on social media, but Jiren Durant’s a guy that was a top 10 player in baseball in 2024 who had a great second half where he was probably a top 20 player in baseball again who has the floor of being a fourth not a the floor of being a four- win player. You put him in center field, his war of value is going to shoot up a little bit anyway. And he was great defensively in center field in 2024, he legitimately could be an all-star center fielder for you next year. So, I would consider a tong for Jiren Durant trade straight up. I don’t know if I love it. I would try to trade Brandon Sprro and a second pitching prospect. So, if it even Yeah, I’d probably even get to the point where I’d say Sprro and I’d even consider throwing in Jack Wener, which is a lot still the stomach. 12 years of control for three on Durant. It’s tough. It’s tough to find the right trade there. But my point is for what it would take to get Mason Miller, I I would be trying to get Scoo. I’d be trying to get Peralta. I feel like you can get other guys for even lesser trade packages potentially that can have just as much of an impact on your upcoming season. Yes, it’s not four years of control, but it’s a tough premium to to hit. Here’s where I think the New York Mets should really be shooting here with the Padres’s. Adrien and Nick Pavetto. two guys that yes are essentially rentals, but I think you could put together a compelling trade package to the Padres’s that helps them complete their off season and have a team that can at least fend for themselves in a really good NL West. So, Kodi Sang is in the trade with the $10 million cash, Mark Ventos, Luis Helakuna, and Jonathan Pentaro. Now, if a Padres’s fan’s watching this, he is yelling at me, turning this off. I mean, you’re just you’re just living like, “This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” But let me walk you through it. Kodi saying got $4 million is exactly the type of gamble that AJ Prowley would make. Mark Ventos with four years of control is a bat that could be huge for the Padres’s moving forward. Akuna gives you full control of a bench piece that if Xander Bogarts goes down, he could be your shorts stop. You don’t have to even consider, oh, let’s take Jackson Merrell or Fernandise out of the outfield. You have a guy that would give you, you know, really good defense. I don’t know if it’s be a gold glove shorts stop, but well above average defensive short. If you trade Jay Kernelorth, he could be your starting second baseman just giving you elite defense or he can just play all over the diamond and gives you a bench piece that you desperately need. Jonathan Petaro is an arm that is drawing some trade interest. Struck out a lot of batters last year. Didn’t have a ton of success after he made his debut from the Mets, but a guy that I could see the Padres’s liking as some starter depth, a potential swingman. He has a little bit of trade value as well. And with projected to make 5.25 million in Paveta making 19, they’re sending $24 million out in this deal as well. So it frees up more money for them to spend. They have a plug-and-play starter with Mark Vantos. They have at least a bench piece in Akunia. They have Kodi Sanga who replaces Paveta at a much cheaper price tag and gives you another upside play. And yes, they give up Adrien Mo home, but it’s one year of control. I think it makes it makes a lot of sense for the Mets. Maybe instead of Pinaro, you have to go a little bit better. Maybe you do. If you really love Morahon and Paveta, maybe you put Jack Wager on the table. And if you’re the Padres’s, that’s a double A arm that maybe you can fast track and he could be part of your rotation. I’d consider it. I would, but you’re you’re trading for again two rentals. So that’s what makes it tough. The only other thing I could say is if you trade for just or just Paveta, it’s a lot easier to make something work for Paveta. I think there is something to be said about a Paveta Sangga money swap. If they are not finding a a trade package they like for Paveta where they’re getting a controllable arm, they can take the difference in salary, right? They can take that that $15 million in difference if they are getting Sang at four instead of Paveta at 19. And they can go out and they can reinvest it. Earth Mets really love Paveta. They could do a two for one and say here’s Kodi Sanga with the cash and David Peterson we’ll take Pavetto and then the Padres’s get a higher floor guy and Peterson high ceiling guy and Sanga two arm for the price of one like there’s other ways you can do this for Adrien you know maybe you are willing to move off of Ventos or maybe it’s as simple as Ronnie Mauricio but I don’t I don’t think that they would do that because I think Morahone just has so much value as an elite centerman I’ve talked about a Ventos Morahone swap all off season. My problem with it now and something that we need to talk about later on this week is just what you do to replace Pete Alonzo. And so just needing Ventos’s power because it’s tough to find power in the market. And so I’ve already gone a little bit longer for the show today because it’s just such a meaty topic between these two teams and trying to find something that works. I think it’s actually tougher to make the trade than I thought the more that I went through all the the different scenarios as I was preparing for this show. It’s really tough to get to the value of Mason Miller. And when you have pitchers with as much upside as Morahon and Paveta that just are coming off great seasons, it’s tough to get there when they don’t have the control side of it. So I I just can’t justify putting Brandon Sprro on the table for guys that could be gone for the next season after after 2026. that that’s the disconnect that I’m having and that’s why I think it’s tougher to make a trade than a lot of people are expecting and even I sort of anticipated at first when I talked about the overlapping of these two teams over the weekend. I it just it’s a tough tough deal to make as why no deal has been made and we’ll see if these sides can figure something out. But to kind of lay out some shows for the rest of the week here we are going to and this is all of course barring news. I want to do a show talking about the lack of power in this lineup. How do you replace Peter Lonzo’s power production? So, that’s one of the shows we’ll be doing. Tomorrow, I really want to talk more about Nolan Mlan and if the New York Mets already have their ace in Mlan and how does that influence how this front office is pursuing starting pitching this off season. So, those are a couple of shows to tease for you that I’ll be tackling this week. We’ll have a lot more coming and hopefully we’ll get some news that we can react to. I’ll be home to give you guys YouTube live shows like you’re probably accustomed to where you can join in live and we can have some fun hopefully around some big Mets moves as they try to reshape this roster after an absolutely crazy week. Anyway, that’s going to be all for this edition of Locked on Mets. Appreciate all of you for tuning in, not only today, but for all of you who tuned in to all the audio only shows while I was on vacation. Thank you for making Locked on Met your first listen every day. Thank you for making uh Locked on the number one sports podcast network.

New York Mets and San Diego Padres spark trade buzz as Mason Miller, Nick Pivetta, and Adrian Morejon emerge as pivotal pieces that could reshape rosters.

Can the Mets land a flamethrower closer with four years of control, or will they pursue a more attainable setup man to fortify their bullpen?

Host Ryan Finkelstein breaks down how massive prospect capital, like Jonah Tong or Jet Williams, might come into play—raising the question: should the Mets prioritize pitching depth or a long-term solution in the outfield?

Deep analysis covers the value of Nick Pivetta’s rotation upside, Ramon Laureano’s fit in the outfield, and what the Padres truly need in return.

Insights include mock trade scenarios, the challenge of replacing Pete Alonso’s power, and how these bold moves could impact New York’s and San Diego’s title hopes.

The stakes are rising—who wins this high-powered MLB chess match?

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