They have Ketel Marte who is younger and has better upside, though I'm not sure to what extent he plays SS because I don't want them other than when we play us. But they may want to get him some extended looks at SS. One of their better prospects is an SS who is still pretty far away. I'd imagine from their perspective that they might want to just sell as high as they can on Owens, since he might maintain value as an elite defender, but right now he had a bit of an offensive breakout with some decent underlying numbers, so there might be no better time to deal him.
I am all for it on the assumption that it won't take much of significance. Kingham or Martin, or even Newman or Kramer, are solid young depth pieces to have around, but if we can use one of them, or one and a lottery ticket prospect (excluding Cruz) for a moderate upgrade with some years of control and maybe untapped offensive upside, then I think it's not much risk.
It sounds like there are some bigger rumors starting to rumble, especially around the Mets and Realmuto, including a situation where Thor would go to the Yankees. They seem unlikely at this point, but maybe there's more room for a big Mets splash than they are letting on. Apparently the Marlins are still asking for the moon for Realmuto, i.e. they asked for Bellinger+ from LA. That makes sense from their perspective, since they basically have the market cornered. However, I don't get why the Mets wouldn't just pony up the money to sign Grandal.
Maybe NH can still sneak in with something creative, but it's hard to see a solution. They obviously want the upgrade at C, but Cervelli for just one year doesn't do a whole lot, especially when you add in his injury risk. Perhaps Cervelli with some marquee, closer to ready prospects (I'd imagine Keller and Hayes, maybe Keller and Tucker if we're luckier), but hard to see that being the top package. But maybe if Grandal signs elsewhere, and the Marlins remain stubborn or some other team ponies up a huge amount, there's room for a bigger play there.
All told, I like Ahmed as at least a genuine upgrade, with either a bigger move for pitching potential, or at least a small investment in a bat with some pop. It might not be too sexy on paper, but at least something like Ahmed + Dozier + Diekman or Loup has the potential to address some problems, and position us to hopefully be more consistent with the potential of having some impact contributions close to ready from some farm players ready to graduate. I prefer mortgaging them for a super rotation, but that kind of moderate aggressiveness is at least a play. I don't buy wholesale into the pursuit of Ahmed (Perrotto's reputation isn't amazing on this front), but I will be pretty surprised if the main SS options in camp are Newman and Gonzalez.
