Mets-Padres trade rumors are the exact creativity Yankees, Brian Cashman lack

As the winter wears on and the options begin to dwindle, it's going to start getting harder and harder for Brian Cashman to plug the holes that exist on the New York Yankees roster. Of course, the fans were hoping for more. In their eyes, filling voids is the bare minimum. They'd like to see real improvements.

At a minimum, the Yankees are watching the affordable targets dry up. Merrill Kelly would've looked nice in the rotation, but the veteran righty is heading back to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Bullpen targets galore have been snatched up, ranging from high-end options like Edwin Diaz and Robert Suarez to more affordable setup types like Kyle Finnegan and Tyler Rogers.

This is to say nothing of the need in left field, and some additional depth pieces that would be nice to have. Cashman has stated that there is no strict budget mandated from the top, but his actions say otherwise. If he's going to actually solve the ills that plagued the Yankees in 2025, he's going to have to get off the sidelines. More than that, if such a budget truly exists (as we suspect it does) then he's going to need to get creative.

The New York Mets and San Diego Padres have given him a blueprint, and it's the sort of outside-the-box thinking that we've been clamoring to see from the Yankees and their head honcho.

Brian Cashman and the Yankees need to learn something about creativity from the Mets-Padres trade talks

The Mets and Padres, much like the Yankees, have found themselves in tough positions this offseason. For the Mets, it's been due to an exodus of stars and an uncertainty surrounding what the plan really is after splurging for Juan Soto just a year ago. Coming off a season in which they missed the playoffs, the pressure is on.

The pressure is on for the Padres, too. The club has the misfortune of sharing a division with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but with many of their own stars and several big-money contracts on their books, they're looking to compete as well. Unfortunately, their ownership is mired in disputes and financial woes, making spending tough. They've already lost Dylan Cease and Robert Suarez, with Michael King looking like the next star out of the door.

As a result, these two clubs are engaged in broad, far-reaching trade talks. No, it's not Francisco Lindor for Fernando Tatis Jr. as had been previously speculated, but there are some true stars involved.

Flamethrower Mason Miller, as well as relievers Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada, are names that are being thrown about as potential Mets targets. Starter Nick Pivetta, too.

Miller's a long-shot to be moved, given that San Diego just acquired him at the trade deadline for the hefty price of MLB Pipelines No. 3 overall prospect Leo De Vries, but Morejon and Estrada are both electric relief aces who are just entering their primes as well. They're the exact types of players that the Yankees should be targeting.

San Diego is said to like the Mets' young assets, including big leaguers like Mark Vientos and Brett Baty, as well as their top pitching prospects Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat (the Mets have made Nolan McLean untouchable).

Compare those young assets to what the Yankees have to dangle. Vientos and Baty have both been inconsistent and no better than a guy like Jasson Dominguez. Young hurlers Will Warren and Cam Schlittler compare favorably to guys like Tong and Sproat.

Therefore, you should be asking yourself, why aren't the Yankees kicking the tires on these guys as well? The bullpen pieces, especially, would be huge additions.

That would involve thinking outside the box a bit, and taking players you thought would be part of your big league roster in 2026, and swapping them for other solutions that solve different or bigger needs. We haven't seen the Yankees get outside of the traditional formula for deal-making in some time, so don't expect it anytime soon, even though it would make a ton of sense.