At the moment, the New York Mets are losing multiple players to free agency, with the best among them being Pete Alonso. If the Mets want any chance of retaining him or getting another superstar, they are going to need to trim some payroll.
Fansided’s Zachary Rotman believes the first thing they can do is cut ties with two-time All-Star Starling Marte, who hasn't had a good season with the Mets since 2022.
“As for Marte, though, it feels like his Mets career has run its course. Marte was the All-Star the Mets envisioned in 2022 in the first year of a four-year deal he inked with New York, but he's struggled to stay healthy and productive since. To be fair, Marte had a solid year in 2025, posting a 111 OPS+ in 98 games, but he also played a total of 12 games and 65 innings in the field. He was primarily on the short side of a DH platoon,” Rotman wrote.
This past season, Marte slashed.270/.335/.410/.745 with 14 doubles, nine home runs, and 34 RBI in 98 games played. At this point in his career, Marte definitely wasn’t worth the $19.5 million a year the Mets were giving him.
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Marte only played 100 or more games in one season with the Mets, which was in his first season in 2022, where he played only 118 games. He made his second All-Star game that year as well, but he’s been rapidly declining ever since.
Overall, Marte brought leadership to the clubhouse, but just leadership and suboptimal play don’t earn you the big bucks. With his contract expiring this offseason, it's time to say goodbye to Marte and use the money that was paying him for a new star to complement Soto.
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