This proposed Yankees-Mets trade will never happen (but might work)

The Yankees need to improve their infield/outfield depth and versatility. The Mets need to find a new home for Jeff McNeil after adding higher-priced free agents around him all offseason long.

Unfortunately, the Yankees and Mets hooking up for a trade is about as unlikely as an assistant hitting coach leaving the Bombers at the altar after just two weeks.

Oops, uh … scratch that, it’s just as unlikely as … some other very unlikely thing.

Stuck in the doldrums of the offseason, at least several months away from a resolution to the MLB lockout, we’re stuck in primetime for talking trades that seem highly unlikely to materialize, and NJ.com’s latest submission that predicts the Mets and Yankees could hold hands and team up together, ready to take on the rest of the league, feels far-fetched.

It also sounds like … a decent trade?

In essence, the writer (Joe Giglio) tries to sell both sides on looking at the greater good, looking at both Torres and McNeil as potential buy-low opportunities after their difficult 2021 seasons. He also considers both men as potential culture woes; from Torres’ hustle questions to McNeil’s “rat or raccoon” fight with Francisco Lindor, both were certainly at the center of needless controversy last year.

But, still … would two New York titans ever go for this? And would the Yankees really not give Torres one more shot at a full season at second base after his September numbers (.280/.339/.420, with his power still largely absent)?

Would the Yankees consider a Gleyber Torres-for-Jeff McNeil trade? Would the Mets?

The major benefit here for the Yankees, of course, is the added outfield versatility that McNeil could provide. While Torres is locked into second base — we know this now — and the Yanks also have to find a place for DJ LeMahieu on a semi-permanent basis, McNeil has spent significant time in left field.

Also, much like Torres, McNeil looks a lot more appealing without his 2021 numbers; throw them out, and he’s coming off OPS+ marks of 138, 143, and 130 in his first three “full” big-league seasons (one of them 2020).

That puts him in lofty territory, with the names below and also Rogers Hornsby, once the time parameters are expanded.

So, what’ll it be? Will the Mets and Yankees bury the hatchet? Will the Yankees cut bait one on of their previous premier prospects? Or will the boys in Flushing only put a deal together if they believe they can rip off the Yanks and make them look silly?

Yeah, probably that final thing. This’ll never happen, at least until both players are proven to be lost causes.

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