Reese Kaplan -- The Sellers Get a Positive Incomplete

I’m not in the same time zone as the rest of our readers living on the opposite side of the world, so while the natural inclination today would be to do a summary and analysis of the Mets pre-August 1st trades made by GM Billy Eppler, I am writing this piece on what would be early evening on Monday on the east coast of the USA.  Consequently the last action I’ve seen was the salary-paid trade of outfielder Mark Canha to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitching prospect Justin Jarvis. 

So let’s recap...

• Eduardo Escobar gone.  Not much in return but the deal opened up the 3rd base position for Brett Baty to play regularly, so it would be addition by subtraction.
• Then there was the David Robertson deal to the Marlins.  This one hurt a bit as he was a fantastic pickup who was forced into becoming the closer in place of Edwin Diaz.  Money went in this deal as well, but in return the Mets got some decent offensive prospects to help fortify the farm system.
• Next came the huge move of sending Hall of Fame caliber pitcher Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers to replace (ironically) former Met Jacob deGrom.  In this deal the Mets got a single player, Luisangel Acuna, who was regarded as the Rangers’ top offensive prospect.  This move cost a fortune as it meant paying down Scherzer’s contract plus half of what he’d be earning in 2024.  Still, the player obtained in return has the good baseball genes of his brother on the Braves who claims Luisangel is actually a better ballplayer than he is.
• That brings us to the Mark Canha deal.  Losing him isn’t on par with losing a Starling Marte caliber of player as Canha is a mostly platoon player who can field his position and draw a lot of walks.  Unfortunately he doesn’t hit for a high average and his 1.5 years as a Met were more interesting for his restaurant opinions than for his on-field performance.  The pitcher obtained struck on 91 in 70+ innings, so the potential is there for someone who could be a major leaguer someday even after his poor initial appearance at the AAA level.

Then came the hectic August 1st express lane to prospect acquisition:

• Tommy Pham to Arizona for youngster Jeremy Rodriguez.  This high dollar international signee shortstop is regarded as a wildcard asset who is probably a good roll of the dice considering Pham was going to be gone at the end of September for nothing.
• Justin Verlander to Houston for outfielders Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford.  When you consider the Mets have no one better than limping Tim Locastro in the minors to help cover the outfield grasses, it's not a bad return.  Both players are highly regarded but in Scherzer-methodology Steve Cohen paid down salary significantly to entice this return. 
• Dominic Leone to Billy Eppler's former employer for infielder Jeremiah Jackson, a power hitter who swings and misses quite a bit, but anything you get with potential for a fringe player counts as a positive.

So in Billy Eppler’s case, I’m willing to give him something of a pass thus far.  It makes sense to try to jerry-rig the roster given how what was planned for 2023 didn’t work due to injuries and performance issues.  As Steve Cohen expressed in his public press conference, the money has already been budgeted and spent, so it there’s any way to obtain pieces to build for the future then you could take that statement to mean a roster renovation was going to be happening.

The real media focus, however, will continue to be the Justin Verlander soap opera.  By initial feedback he was pleased to be a Met (as was his bride, the former Kate Upton).  However, after the David Robertson deal was made you could see the wheels start turning.  Then when Scherzer went off to find yellow roses in Texas it became clearer that the no-trade clause in Verlander’s contract would be open to being waived.

In Verlander’s case, it’s a little more complicated.  Although he’s been pitching like a three-time Cy Young Award winner lately, the fact is that the acquiring team needs to pay him for the remainder of this year, next year and can be forced to retain him for 2025 if he completes 140 innings in 2024.  Consequently the Mets had to pay down a HUGE chunk in order to make the deal executed with the Astros.  

Then let's look at what hasn't been done:

• Ronny Mauricio remains in Syracuse because...ummmm...any clue as to why?
• Omar Narvaez, the projected starting catcher for 2023, is still a member of the team.  I can't believe no one in baseball couldn't want an above average option to don the tools of ignorance unless it was his salary obligation for the remainder of this season and 2024 was the immovable obtacle.
• Daniel Vogelbach is still on the roster.  Sparing the obvious heft jokes about not fitting through the exit door, what opportunities are we going to get to see what Mark Vientos and others can do if Vogelbach continues to steal at-bats from players who should be seen to help evaluate the future?

Keep your eyes on the press for Mets news...what’s begun is not likely yet over.