Reese Kaplan -- I'm Afraid You Have to Give to Get, Mets!

There is a difference between how some teams conduct their need to fulfill roster vacancies and how the Mets go about doing the same.  The Atlanta Braves lost a key cog in their lineup, outfielder Ronald Acuna, who is now out for the season with a complete ACL tear of his right knee while attempting to make a running catch leaping against the wall hit by the Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm.  At the time of the injury the 23 year old Acuna was hitting .283 with 24 HRs and 52 RBIs.  He was slugging .596 and generated a .990 OPS.  Yes, that’s a major hole in your lineup that needs filling.   

Unlike the Mets, the Braves went out seeking a reasonable major league solution, finding it with the Chicago Cubs.  The GMs discussed options on the one-year $4.5 million player who will be a free agent at year’s end and agreed that it would be a fair deal to send minor leaguer Bryce Ball in an even exchange. 

Over two years in the minors the first base prospect was hitting .278 with 23 HRs and 82 RBIs over a combined nearly full season worth of ABs.  While the run production numbers are good, the fact is scouts are very concerned that his contact rate is not very good and he may struggle as he adjusts to increasingly effective pitching as he works his way up the ladder.

In return, the former Dodger Joc Pederson plays a very good outfield and was contributing to the Cubs with 11 HRs, 39 RBIs and a career-average of .230.  He’s never going to win a batting title, but at times Pederson has shown far more power with his best season in 2019 delivering 36 HRs and 74 RBIs.  While he’s not a direct replacement talent-wise for Acuna, he’s a legitimate major league player and the Braves addressed their void without sacrificing much from the minors.  In most scouting reports Bryce Ball was ranked no higher than 12th in the list of upcoming future Atlanta ballplayers and at 23 had not even advanced beyond High A ball.  That’s not much to give up and it looks as if the Braves made an effective deal.

Now compare that approach to the Mets tendency to see who has been released from another club and then wondering why a player who hit the DFA scrap heap wasn’t a savior to propel the team forward.  Do the names Cameron Maybin, Brandon Drury, Travis Blankenhorn or Mason Williams look like the same caliber player as Pederson?  No, I didn’t think so.  

Defenders of the blue and orange personnel in Queens would be quick to point out that the Mets didn’t sacrifice anything to make these many acquisitions.  That is indeed true, but what did they deliver to the Mets?  I won’t even add some of the previously bad decisions like Albert Almora, Jr. or Jake Hager or Khalil Lee to the list of unimpressive players on whom the Mets banked their future.  

It’s approaching the trade deadline and the Braves acted quickly given their hole in the outfield that will remain for the rest of the season.  They didn’t wait for the leftovers of July 31st.  Whether or not Pederson will help them vault over the Mets is not yet known, but at least they appear to be trying.  

So we come back to the question about what the Mets should do between now and the upcoming trading deadline?  Do they deal major league players who don’t quite fit on the roster?  Do they sell off expiring contracts to make room for new talent?  Do they part with prospects who may or may not be blocked by others on the major league roster and take on salaries other teams are seeking to lose?  

The announcement today of the Pederson trade made headlines across baseball.  The Braves had a need and took a mature step to address it.  Mets fans are waiting so see their club act the same way.