Mets insider crafts wild Yankees trade that could bring Josh Donaldson to Queens

No, that faint sound of, "Flushing!" you hear isn't the rest of Josh Donaldson's career spiraling down the Yankees' toilet! It's something mystical. Something wondrous. Something that will ... never happen.

But that didn't stop SNY's Andy Martino from reading between the lines and attempting to maneuver the Mets across this season's trade deadline by being a little creative.

Stemming from the Mets' apparent willingness to take on unappealing contracts to acquire something they actually desire -- you know, the way Bill Simmons keeps telling the Knicks to trade for Russell Westbrook -- Martino presented some thoughts and possible matches this week that could get New York closer to their goal weight.

One of his pitches was ... well, basically what the Yankees were trying to do when they acquired Donaldson in the first place, before their unnecessarily tightened their belt in the aftermath.

According to SNY's insider, "Donaldson or Giancarlo Stanton + Ian Hamilton to the Mets" could be an intriguing business venture for the two teams to commit to. He's certainly right! It would be interesting! It also should not, and will not, happen.

Mets willing to trade for Yankees' Josh Donaldson?

The Donaldson possibility would seem decidedly more likely than the Stanton option, but only in the way that it's technically more likely you'd run into a tiger cub on fifth avenue than a narwhal.

Per Martino, the Mets would likely cut Donaldson after absorbing his $21 million, which is exactly what the Yankees are currently weighing doing themselves. The Yankees wouldn't get the advantage of dictating Donaldson's next destination one borough over, and would still have to grapple with the uncomfortable reality that some contender somewhere -- for free -- might be the club to finally turn his exit velocity into production.

Hamilton, controllable through 2028 and about to return from the IL, was a Yankees folk hero before his tight groin felled him, racking up 1.0 bWAR and 30 strikeouts in 22 innings before he went down. He even posted a save at Tropicana Field over the surging Rays. New York's league-leading bullpen ERA remains impressive, but Michael King's recent wet spot and Wandy Peralta's struggles have left Clay Holmes, Ron Marinaccio and Tommy Kahnle seemingly stranded at the back end. Hamilton's return will aid that process. Sending him to the other side of an interstate rivalry seems unwise.

The Mets and Yankees have reached a detente under Hal Steinbrenner and Steve Cohen. In fact, Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman seem to have taught Cohen and Billy Eppler everything there is to know about failing to maximize a massive budget. Donaldson's three remaining months on a $21 million salary aren't too rich for the Mets' blood, but is that really the cost of a solid reliever these days? This seems like something neither side would do -- but, hey, that's what we said about the Donaldson/IKF trade in the first place, too.

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