The New York Mets transitioned from likely sellers at the MLB trade deadline to buyers thanks to a strong summer. However, amid a playoff race, New York wasn’t particularly aggressive on the trade front and we might now know why.
New York certainly improved its roster at the trade deadline. With needs in the bullpen, David Stearns acquired Phil Maton, Huascar Brazoban, Ryne Stanek and Tyler Zuber. While none of those additions stand out, it did provide significant depth for the Mets bullpen.
Related: MLB power rankings after trade deadline, see where New York Mets place
Stearns also reacted when he needed to, acquiring starting pitcher Paul Blackburn from the Oakland Athletics following the season-ending injury to Kodai Senga. With the Mets lineup also needing more support, New York went out and acquired outfielder Jesse Winker from the Washington Nationals.
Still, the Mets were connected to far bigger names in MLB trade rumors and there were reports the day of the MLB trade deadline that New York was one of the most aggressive teams. Regarding the lack of a splash move, there’s new insight into how the club approached trade talks.
Related: New York Mets game today, Mets schedule
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post , the Mets top prospects (Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert, Ryan Clifford, Luisangel Acuna, Blake Tidwell and Brandon Sproat) were off the table in trade talks. New York also received a significant number of inquiries into third baseman Brett Baty, who is currently at Triple-A, but the team wouldn’t move him.
New York’s motivation for keeping Sproat partially centered on plans for later this season. After starting the 2024 season at High-A, Sproat was promoted to Double-A and he’s dominated. Across 62.1 innings pitched, he sports a 2.45 ERA with a 33.2 percent strikeout rate and a stellar 26.7 percent K-BB rate ( FanGraphs ). While he hasn’t even reached Triple-A, the Mets front office has him under consideration for a September call-up as a potential bullpen option.
Also Read: Best baseball players ever
With the Mets top prospects unavailable, it makes sense why their attempts to acquire top bullpen options like Carlos Estevez, Tanner Scott and Pete Fairbanks came up short. The Los Angeles Angeles received an unexpected haul of top prospects for Estevez and the Miami Marlins received multiple of the San Diego Padres top prospects for Scott.
All things considered, it was the right approach for New York to take. Even with a big-name addition, the Mets likely wouldn’t have thrust themselves into World Series contention. This approach improved their roster at some key spots and the Mets top prospects get to stick around as potential long-term help.
Also Read: College Football defense rankings 2024: Michigan, Ohio State headline best defenses in college football More must-reads:
Local Queens, NY
Most Popular
Comments / 0