Reese Kaplan -- Billy Eppler's Building Blocks Suggest More to Come

Earlier this week I mentioned the somewhat puzzling acquisition of Daniel Vogelbach by Billy Eppler.  Some folks took a very different perspective feeling that as an inexpensive platoon piece he is a .264 hitter against right handed pitching and has good power while working out a number of walks which are good but not great when you have the base running challenge his size creates.  They also pointed out that in very limited action Colin Holderman has been good but already is showing signs of shoulder strain, hence the price paid was not astronomical.  While I am still unclear what the rest of the subsequent moves expected will do to enhance the roster, at best I can give the front office is an incomplete.

Then yesterday Eppler struck again, this time securing the services of an over-30 poor outfielder named Tyler Naquin and a challenged pitcher named Phillip Diehl.  Taking a quick look at the metrics for each makes you once again start the head scratching as to what exactly these folks are contributing to help the 2022 team other than perhaps being fallback options should other more conspicuous major or minor league players get shipped out in trades yet to occur.

First let's take a gander at the resume of Naquin.  The 31-year old lefty swinging outfielder has a solid .269 career batting average.  In his best season in 2021 he hit 19 HRs and drove in 70 while logging 411 ABs.  Baseball Reference suggests that performance is pretty much in line with what could be expected if he played as a regular -- .269 with 18 HRs and 71 RBIs.  That's not awful but it's also not markedly better than what Mark Canha is delivering.  He's earning $4 million and is slated to be a free agent at year's end.  I think perhaps he would be slated as the Dom Smith replacement on the roster but the mostly first baseman is currently on the IL and will not be moved in a pre-deadline trade.  

Then there's the dark horse of the deal, Phillip also-named Diehl.  The now 28-year-old southpaw has not exactly shined in his limited exposure at the major league level.  Delving into his minor league stats shows someone with potential that has not yet been realized.  Since his 21 year old season back in 2016 he's shifted from starting pitcher to the bullpen.  In years with affiliates for the Yankees, Rockies and Reds he's put together a decent resume that includes a record of 22-11 with a 3.26 ERA while striking out over 11 batters per 9 innings pitched and walking 2.5.  Since he has had very limited time in the majors, he's an inexpensive lefty for the next four years and could serve as a supplement to others in the system like David Peterson and Thomas Szapucki.

Neither of these players from the Cincinnati Reds cost the Mets a major fortune in terms of ready-to-play minor leaguers exchanged in the deal, though both at a very early professional level are pretty impressive.  At ages 18 and 19 righthander Jose Acuna appeared in 12 games, going 4-0 with a very nice 2.88 ERA while striking out nearly 4 times as many as he walks while maintaining a WHIP under 1.000.  Utilityman Hector Rodriguez has played at ages 17 and 18, combining to hit .321 with 6 HRs and 31 RBIs in about a half season's worth of ABs.  Obviously a lot can happen by the time either or both of these athletes attempt to make their way up the ladder to the majors, but it would appear that while the Mets gained experience in the deal the Reds took on potential.  Overall it was a deal that made a lot of sense for the Reds.  For the Mets it would appear to be another one in which everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Apparently some of the much rumored deals are still possible, including both Willson Contreras and David Robertson from the Cubs.  This particular deal would require Steve Cohen's deep pockets as Contreras is earning $9.625 million this year and the 3-time All Star is slated to be a free agent at year's end.  37-year-old Robertson is more than earning his modest $3.5 million contract, pitching to a 1.83 ERA with 14 saves.  He too is eligible for free agency at year's end.  Given that neither of these very good players are guaranteed to be anything more than late season rentals in the mold of Javier Baez, the price you'd pay to get them shouldn't be quite as steep as if they were acquired earlier in their careers.

Right now the jury is still out on Billy Eppler and the Mets.  While the Yankees went out to bolster their roster through the addition of an All Star player in Andrew Benintendi who is hitting .320, the Mets seemed to be building in baby steps which cannot be fully understood until all of the dust settles between now and Tuesday, August 2nd when the trade deadline occurs.  For now, another incomplete grade is the best I can offer.