Royals interested in Mets outfielder Starling Marte, per report

The Royals made an effort to acquire the 36-year-old.

The Royals have been searching under every rock to acquire an outfielder this off-season but to no success. The latest report of their efforts is from Joel Sherman of the New York Post, who writes this week that the Royals tried to acquire Mets outfielder Starling Marte, and that their efforts may not be exhausted yet.

The Royals made a push to try to acquire Starling Marte in winter, but could not find agreement with the Mets, who were interested in a reliever such as Hunter Harvey or Angel Zerpa while Kansas City wanted to give up a lesser arm.

But Kansas City has not totally extinguished this possibility.

Marte is a 36-year-old two-time All-Star who hit .269/.327/.388 with seven home runs and 16 steals in 94 games last year with the Mets. He is in the final year of a four-year, $78 million deal that will pay him $19.5 million this season, although the Mets are reportedly willing to cover some of those costs. Marte missed nearly two months last year with a bone bruise in his right knee, and has not played more than 120 games in a season since 2019. He has yet to appear in a spring training game, although Mets manager Carlos Mendoza indicates he should return to the lineup soon.

Marte has enjoyed a productive 13-year career with the Pirates, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Athletics, and Mets, hitting .286/.342/.441. As recently as 2022 he was a 3.9 rWAR player, hitting .292/.347/.468, earning MVP votes. He has generally been a high-contact hitter for average who doesn’t strike out much and has modest home run power. But his bat has fallen off the last two years, although he still had an OPS+ of 104 last year, a significant improvement over what the Royals have had in the outfield.

Once a Gold Glover, Marte’s defense has declined. He was one of the worst outfielders in baseball in Outs Above Average last season and he had a Defensive Runs Saved of -6. Marte has below-average sprint speed, but is still a good base stealer, swiping 40 bases on 45 attempts over the last two seasons.

Marte became expendable when the Mets acquired free agents Juan Soto and Jesse Winker, and acquired Jose Siri from the Rays, joining Brandon Nimmo and Tyrone Taylor in a crowded outfield. The Royals unsuccessfully pursued free agent outfielders Anthony Santander and Jurickson Profar, and rumored deals for Taylor Ward, Alec Bohm, and Brett Baty have not come to fruition. Earlier this week, a report indicated free agent Adam Duvall rejected a $1 million offer from the Royals.

In his prime, Marte seemed like a perfect fit for the Royals. But he’s not the player he once was, and a rebirth at age 36 with a gimpy knee seems like a long shot. Perhaps if the Mets are willing to take a reliever like Chris Stratton in return, a deal makes some sense. But these reports indicate the Royals are not completely sold on their outfield mix and the ability of their infielders to transition to the outfield as a way to paper over their deficiencies.