Mets rumors: Andre Ethier trade could make sense

The New York Mets could make sense as a destination for Andre Ethier, speculates Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. He prefaces the discussion by noting he's merely "thinking out loud," but he makes some good points:

• Johan Santana, Jason Bay, and Frank Francisco will all be coming off the Mets payroll and would (obviously) give the club increased financial flexibility.
  
• With said flexibility, the Mets could absorb the bulk of the remaining 4 years, $71.5 million on Ethier's contract.
• The more the Mets would be willing to take on, the less they'd have to give up to acquire Ethier from the Dodgers.
• Rosenthal notes that Mets fans might not want him, but he notes they already need help and the free agent market is (and will be) thin.

Now, I'm probably different than the majority of my baseball brethren here but these are my absolute favorite kind of trade rumor.

It's speculation, sure. And maybe it's just Ken being a mouthpiece for Ethier's sports agency (CAA Sports) or for the Dodgers, which I assume would be happy to be rid of Ethier while they figure other things out, like Clayton Kershaw -- not that I would ever assume Ken would just create speculation based on what agents and front offices tell him. Still, it makes for a good conversation.

Does Andre Ethier make sense for the Mets? How much of his contract should they be willing to take? Comment below.

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