Mets Wisely Refused to Give up Jeff McNeil in Mookie Betts Trade Talks

The New York Mets were reportedly one team inquiring about a trade for Mookie Betts, but the Boston Red Sox were asking for one particular asset the Mets weren't willing to give up. The Sox demanded Jeff McNeil from New York in order to make Mookie Betts a Met, and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen deemed that ask to be too steep.

McNeil, at the age of 27, is only one year younger than Betts, but is under club control for five more years, as opposed to Betts' one year. McNeil has batted over .321 with 26 home runs and 94 RBI for the Mets in 196 games since 2018.

Betts has put up superior slugging numbers, but McNeil actually boasts a better career OPS at .896 versus Betts' .893. Obviously Betts has a much larger sample size and boasts hardware as a former MVP and World Series champ, but given their contract situations, keeping McNeil was the safer move for the Mets.

Clearly the Mets have faith in McNeil to continue his development over the next few seasons, and they're showing a lot of confidence in the one-time All-Star by keeping him out of talks for Betts.