NY Mets’ Outfielder Caught Recruiting This Star Pitcher to Queens, But Will it Work?

The New York Mets are primed to begin their playoff run on Friday night in Queens, New York, but that isn't stopping the team from looking ahead to the future.

More specifically, it isn't stopping Starling Marte from looking ahead to next season, and trying to bring in more reinforcements to build the new empire in the Empire State. To further build the Mets into a powerhouse, he's looking south, to an elite starting pitcher with which he played for two seasons before arriving in Queens.

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Starling Marte Recruits Marlins' Starting Pitcher Over Instagram

It all began with a benign, season-ending Instagram post, that came from the account of Miami Marlins' star hurler, Sandy Alcantara. The 26-year old had a Cy Young-caliber season in Miami, with an ERA of 2.28 in 32 games, and a league-leading six complete games.

As professional athletes often do, he took to Instagram following the conclusion of his season, to thank teammates, fans and others:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sandy Alcantara (@sandyalcantaramph)

It wasn't the post itself that raised eyebrows in Queens. Rather, it was a particular comment on the post, that came from New York Mets' star outfielder, Starling Marte. The comment was left in Spanish, but Twitter user Shea Station hit the "Translate" button to reveal a wild response:

Short, sweet, and to-the-point. Starling Marte has made his pitch to his former teammate.

Now, does this comment really mean anything? No, absolutely not. Marte has little-to-no power when it comes to bringing Alcantara to New York. The right-hander is under contract through 2027, so unless Miami trades him away, he won't be going anywhere for quite some time.

That all being said, you also have to think about the way that the Mets operate under new team owner, Steve Cohen. Through two seasons of his ownership, the philosophy has been: if we want *insert player name*, we'll simply out-bid you for them, and there's nothing you can do.

If Starling Marte's sentiments are shared by other players in the clubhouse, then Cohen would likely give General Manager Billy Eppler the green-light to give the Marlins a call. It wouldn't be overly wise to trade a player of that caliber to a team in your own division, but the Mets have shown the ability to be very persuasive under Cohen's leadership, so saying never is never a smart idea.

We'll see if this goes anywhere, but for the time being, keep an eye on the Instagram comments of your other favorite players in baseball.

*Everyone sprints to Aaron Judge's Instagram page*