The Seattle Mariners and New York Mets appear close on a trade that would send second baseman Robinson Cano and closer Edwin Diaz to the Big Apple in exchange for a package headlined by prospects and burdened with salary ballast. While there's plenty to dissect concerning those involved in the deal, we decided it would be worthwhile to focus on one player who the Mets reportedly refused to part with in negotiations: Second baseman Jeff McNeil.

Those unfamiliar with McNeil have a valid excuse. He entered 2018 as something of an afterthought. He'd never made a top prospects list, and he'd appeared in just 51 games the previous two seasons due to injury. Yet McNeil ascended last season behind tweaks to his conditioning program and swing, as detailed by Baseball Prospectus. He forced his way to the majors late in the year after scorching Double- and Triple-A pitching, and went on to hit .329/.381/.471 with seven steals (on eight tries) in 63 games at the big-league level.

McNeil's role on the Mets wasn't clear before the Cano trade was hatched, and it's unlikely to be settled until later in the winter. Still, it's understandable why the Mets wanted to keep him.

Although it came in a small sample, McNeil showed an appreciable talent for putting the bat on the ball. His contact percentage was nearly eight percentage points above the league-average mark, per Statcast. Those bat-to-ball skills combined with his swing-happy approach make him a throwback player in at least one regard: 80 percent of his plate appearances resulted in a ball in play, as compared to 65 percent of the league's plate appearances overall.

There's more to producing at the dish than making contact, of course. Heading forward, McNeil is unlikely to sustain a .329 average. That could prove to be a problem, considering he didn't walk much (his on-base percentage was buoyed by five hit-by-pitches) and his power played at a below-average level in the majors. We're talking about 63 games here, or less than half a season. It's possible he goes on to improve in both regards -- particularly the power given his hand-eye coordination and strength gains -- but his big-league walk rate and ISO put him in company with the likes of J.T. Riddle and Devon Travis, among others. 

The good news for McNeil is he doesn't have to maintain his 2018 offense to have value. He's an above-average runner who has experience across the diamond. It's easy to envision him entering next season in a super-sub role, filling in here and there against right-handed pitchers, and perhaps graduating into a more permanent starting gig if he continues to hit well. That might even be the smart play for the Mets, who have been undone by injuries time and again. (McNeil's past durability concerns shouldn't be overlooked here, either.)

So, why are the Mets keen on McNeil? Probably in part because of his upside -- it's conceivable he morphs into a starting infielder -- and probably in part because he gives them a deeper team. It's clear Brodie Van Wagenen and crew want to win in 2019. McNeil, more so than the prospects headed to Seattle, will help that cause.