A-rod for Wright?

Here's a trade that will never happen, but it popped into my head the other day, and I think it actually makes some sense for both teams. It's a trade between the cross-town rival New York Yankees and New York Mets: Alex Rodriguez for David Wright.

Now before you dismiss it completely, think about this for a minute. From the Mets perspective, their line-up is in need of some more punch. Don't get me wrong, David Wright's a great hitter, but he doesn't strike fear into the hearts of pitchers like Alex Rodriguez does. A-rod would immediately make the Mets line up better. Rodriguez is also a bit more polished defensively, and he's a marquee name the Mets can market. And as much as A-rod has been vilified for not coming through in the clutch, Wright has been worse. Trading A-rod for Wright would be a short term upgrade.

The long term is where the negatives come in for the Mets. A-rod is 33 years old (7 years older than Wright), makes about 27 million a year, and is signed for the next 8 seasons after this one, all at that bloated salary. And there's the steroid issue hanging over him. Will he be productive into his 40's? Time will tell.

Now why would the Yankees want to trade Rodriguez, and weaken the team slightly this season, and at least the next 2 or 3 seasons (while A-rod is still in his prime)? For all the same negative reasons listed above. The Yankees, unlike the Mets, have the added problem of Derek Jeter.

The Yankees will surely want to resign Jeter after the 2010 season (when his contract is up) and having A-rod under contract will throw a huge wrench into those plans. Having two players on the left side of the infield in their late 30's will be a bad idea. And having three regular players (if you include Jorge Posada) in their late 30's will be an even worse idea.

It's clear someone will have to go, since both Jeter and A-rod can't DH, and Mark Teixeira has first base tied up for the foreseeable future. If the Yankees could get a third baseman as talented and as young as Wright for A-rod, they'd do it in a heartbeat. And having a marquee name of their own like Teixeira will lessen the blow.

Also, it's well documented that Rodriguez grew up a Mets fan, and they're the only team that he'd likely consider dropping his no trade clause to join.

So what you you think? Will Yanks GM Brian Cashman and Mets GM Omar Minaya be discussing this soon over drinks? They should. But as I said in my opening, this trade will never happen, and it's not because it doesn't make any sense. It's because the team that comes out on the short end of the deal would never hear the end of it from the New York fans and media. The trade might be worth the risk from a baseball perspective, but it's absolutely not worth the public relations risk.