Viable trades involving the New York Mets are hard to come by given what they have to offer and the number of roster holes that need to be filled, but Jim Bowden of The Athletic had an intriguing rumor involving  Mets starter Brandon Sproat and Milwaukee pitcher Freddy Peralta that’s well worth a closer look. 

What the Brewers would get: Right-handed starter Brandon Sproat, multi positional prospect Luisangel Acuna

What the Mets would get: Freddy Peralta

Why the Mets should do this trade. This would give the Mets a genuine ace to go with starter Nolan McLean as he continues to develop, and Peralta is 29, plus he’ll make just $8 million this year in his final season under team control. The deal would have to include preliminary negotiations on the numbers for a long-term deal, and if Peralta’s numbers line up with those of the Mets, then it makes sense to go forward with it. 

One problem with this deal, however, is the number of moving parts and pieces the Mets have to account for with their offseason moves. Stearns has indicated that the Mets are going to deal with veterans like second baseman Jeff McNeil and possibly starter Kodai Senga before they finalize their more significant moves, and it’s a sound plan that New York should continue to follow. 

Why the Brewers should do this trade. This feels like a solid foundation of a deal that could be expanded, but there’s no way the Brewers should do it as currently proposed—Peralta’s too valuable, and Sproat’s not ready for prime time yet, plus Acuna’s not nearly enough as a prospect throw-in despite his familiar last name. 

What makes it worth exploring is that the Mets have a highly-rated, deep farm system, and it’s full of possible pieces that Milwaukee would see as Brewers types of players if the developmental process was finished according to their standards. 

Rest assured, there’d be a lot of dickering involved, but that’s what good deals are all about. Both teams have priorities, and a list swap  eligible players and different combinations would be the starting point. 

The verdict. here’s some potential in this kind of deal, not as its proposed or as a one-for-one swap, but this could be a way for the Brewers to get younger and avoid having to pay Peralta, while the Mets could get their ace without having to pay the enormous price that would come with someone like Detroit starter Tarik Skubal, and at a much cheaper price at that.