Bleacher Report lays out intriguing trade idea for the Angels and Mets

It's incredibly difficult to come up with a solution for the Angels third base situation next season and beyond. Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly might have come up with the best idea yet.

Kelly threw out the idea of a Brett Baty to the Angels deal, based solely on the fact that the former first rounder has no future with the Mets and Rendon has no future with the Angels. Mark Vientos, Baty's former counterpart, has completely surpassed him on the depth chart. José Iglesias also slots in at third base for the Mets, and their fans might riot if he is not brought back next season. Rendon hit zero home runs this year and is a physical and mental shell of himself.

Baty represents everything the Angels currently covet. A buy-low third baseman with high upside who has serious pop as a left-hander. The Angels have a copious amount of assets who they would part with in exchange for the soon-to-be 25-year-old.

The Angels are the arbiters of their own destiny. They can both sign free agents and make trades that help them both in the short-term and long-term this winter. If they, say, sign an Anthony Santander in free agency plus offload assets they have been building up for a few years now in exchange for Baty, then they could put themselves in a great spot. How about a lineup like this against right-handed starters?

1. Neto -- 6
2. Trout -- DH
3. Santander -- 9
4. Ward -- 7
5. Schanuel -- 3
6. O'Hoppe -- 2
7. Baty -- 5
8. Rengifo -- 4
9. Moniak -- 8

It's not the flashiest lineup, but it is miles better than what Perry Minasian has been able to field in recent years. How about instead of rostering guys like Willie Calhoun, Luis Guillorme, or Miguel Sanó, Minasian tries out players like Baty? Baty is a player who can help the Angels compete now and in the long-term, unlike the veteran stop-gaps Minasian has brought in previously. In this instance, Rendon is no longer starting against right-handed starters, and Rengifo does not need to slot in at third base, a position he should not be counted on to play because of his arm issues.

The Mets and Angels have so much in common as franchises. Both the Mets and Angels are the second team in their city, meaning both fanbases have inferiority complexes to the Dodgers and Yankees. They both had owners who crippled their franchise for years. Unfortunately, only the Mets have been able to remedy that situation. The two franchises did make a trade recently where the Angels sent Coleman Crow and Landon Marceaux to the Mets in exchange for Eduardo Escobar. None of those three players played in MLB or MiLB in 2024, matter of fact. Despite that, maybe the two teams could continue to workshop ideas that behoove both franchises' present and futures.

Baty could get a fresh start in Anaheim and the Angels do not have a sufficient alternative at third base. They are a rebuilding franchise, but Baty could help them win in 2025 even as he matures into himself. Defensively, he's all over the place. Who has not been as a Rendon replacement? Ron Washington could theoretically help him in that regard. The Angels should go as all-in as they could for a player of Baty's caliber given how he could easily be given away by the Mets this winter.