The New York Mets and New York Yankees have felt like the biggest adversaries of the Major League Baseball season so far.
Usually, the Subway Series takes a bit of a backseat to the Yankees and Boston Red Sox, or even the Yankees and Houston Astros at times. But thanks to Juan Soto’s departure from the Bronx to Queens in free agency, the New York rivalry is at a fever pitch this year.
After the vitriol on display between Yankees fans and the Mets at Yankee Stadium last month, it can be hard to picture the two teams trading with each other this year. But perhaps the animosity doesn’t extend to the front offices.
Speaking of front offices, a former Mets general manager, Zack Scott has a trade suggestion that might irk a certain portion of his old team’s fan base.
On a recent episode of SNY’s Baseball Night in New York, Scott speculated that the Mets could trade second baseman Jeff McNeil to the Yankees, because they have young infielders like Luisangel Acuña, Brett Baty, and Ronny Mauricio jockeying for playing time.
“The Mets have some surplus,” Scott said. “Maybe Jeff McNeil would be a great fit for the Yankees.”
McNeil, 33, is the only player named above who has multiple years of playoff experience with the Mets, and he’s both a two-time All-Star and a former batting champion.
Plus, McNeil is off to a great start this season after missing nearly four weeks of action. He’s got a .461 slugging percentage, which would be the highest of his career since 2019, and a robust 132 OPS+.
Though McNeil’s $50 million contract runs through next season, he’s producing enough to justify his salary. It’s hard to believe the Mets would let him go anywhere, let alone the hated Yankees.
