When the Mets’ depleted pen coughed up a 9th inning win in London to the Phillies on June 9, the Mets fell to 28-36, and they trailed Philly by 16.5 games. After Wednesday’s action, that gap is just 8 games with 54 games to go.
A FLURRY OF INTELLIGENT DEALS
Deals of modest, but collectively quite meaningful, incremental quality were made by David Stearns this week.
I will say this, I am very impressed.
They traded none of their significant prospects, first of all.
Stearns’ job was enormously complicated by recent injuries to Garrett, Nunez, Senga, and Scott. Marte and Foley also have had delayed returns.
Losses then wins then losses by the Mets before the July 30 deadline.
What to make of it all?
Prior administrations would likely have given us something limited and half-arsed, and the team would have been floundering.
Not Stearns. He earned his healthy paycheck.
In a span of a week, he DFA’d Diekman and Houser.The old Mets wouldnot have done that. And DFA’d Fujinami and Walker in AAA.
Then, realizing he needed to get Stewart’s 3 month “hit starvation diet” off the roster, too, he demoted Stewart and acquired Jesse Winker for a decent prospect pitcher in Tyler Stuart, whose ceiling remains unclear, and who likely would not be ready to contribute to the MLB team in a major way for perhaps late 2025 or in 2026.
- Big upgrade, making the potent offense even more ferocious.
Recently, he astutely acquired Phil Maton for the depleted bullpen.
Then he got Ryne Stanek for Rylan Thomas, another decent pen arm acquired in exchange for a potential future Dave Magadan in Thomas.
On Trade Deadline Tuesday, he then got THREE MORE PITCHERS!
First, the Rays dealt righty reliever Tyler Zuber to the Mets for 6’10” righty minor leaguer (and my strikeout guy) Paul Gervase. Zuber hopefully can provide some quality innings for the Mets pen. Zuber is a little wild, but improved in 2024, and missed all of 2022 with a shoulder impingement, and he pitched well (mostly in the minors) in relief this year. He is 29.
Second, and perhaps more significant, minor league 2023 Mets 3rd rounder pitcher Kade Morris is off to Oakland in exchange for starter Paul Blackburn. Paul was 4-2, 4.41 in 51 IP so far this season in 9 starts
He made 8 starts, then missed 10 weeks, and recently returned and threw 5 innings. He is 30, a righty, and has an ERA of about 4.35 over the past 3 years. A very good get to address the Mets’ current rotation needs. Morris was the Mets # 25 prospect, and likely would have slipped closer to # 30 after the recent draft.
Third, acquired by Stearns was Marlins reliever Huascar Brazoban, who had thrown 30.2 IP in 20 outings, with a 2.93 ERA while striking out slightly over a quarter of the batters he faced, and low walks.
The Mets gave up Wilfredo Lara. I’d do that deal any day.
to get immediate quality relief help. Lara may be a good IF in the future, but several Mets minors infielders are IMO ranked higher.
Good job, Stearns.
AAA Lefty Josh Walker got traded after his Mets’ DFA. The Pirates in return gave the Mets a Nicolas Carreno, who is 18. He was extremely wild last year, and wild in his first month this year. In month # 2 in July, he has thrown 14 innings, allowed 5 hits, 8 walks, 4 HBP, 18 Ks.
In all, 36 Ks in 22 IP this year. Listed at 5’10”, 155, and he is a lefty. Is he any good? Good question. Ask me again in 3 years.
Fujinami was not grabbed by anyone, and is off the 40 man and back in Syracuse. And the same with Joey Lucchesi.
Overall, if one was operating within a tight budget right after several recent injuries, I give Stearns a solid A. What do you give him?
No Snell? Oh, well. No Crochet? Darn.
Of course, since you can’t fit a size 29 roster in a size 26 shoe. So, Tyler Zuber and Matt Gage have been optioned to Syracuse, to clear roster space for Huascar Brazobán.
The Mets will make another move on Friday for the addition to the roster of starter Paul Blackburn, joining the team in LA. Likely that will (again) be Tylor Megill, who is in the bullpen but will stay stretched out as a starter, if and when needed.
METS WIN TUESDAY, 2-0
Sean Manaea was brilliant, 7 scoreless, 11 Ks. Looks like a viable post season starter to me. And Mark “Mike Schmidt” Vientos hit his 15th in 62 games. Did I mention Mark has 2 errors in 62 games? Gold Glove candidate, perhaps?
METS LOSE WEDNESDAY, 8-3
Luis Severino didn’t pitch well, the Mets didn’t hit well.
Mark Vientos hit a HR in both games, giving him 16 (about one every 4 games), and has made 3 errors. Mike Schmidt, I tell ya.
A Guy Chuck Wepner, the Bayonne Bleeder, Could Love
I picked on James McCann a lot for his large contract and low production with the Mets. But…
Did you see the other day that McCann was hit in the nose by a 95 mile an hour FB? He stayed in the game after they plugged up his heavily bleeding nose. Ran the bases, and caught the rest of the game.Got an x-ray later and found a few fractures in his nose. He is not going on the injured list, but he’s going to continue to play. That is tough. Bravo.
MINORS PITCHING GEMS
Sean Reid Foley fanned the side in his one inning of AA work.
Prior to him, Joander Suarez threw six innings of 1 hit, no walk, 9 K ball. This seems to be the Time of the season when he tosses incredible games.
And Jonah Tong fanned 10 in 5.1 IP. Glad he wasn’t traded. I like that 13+ Ks per 9 innings stuff.
Joey Lucchesi, though, got hit hard. He’s been sinking.
18 comments:
I agree with your deadline take on Stearns’ moves.
The next 15 games, and actually through September 12, represents a relatively easy schedule. Time to win 26 of the next 40.
I don’t agree completely, but I confess that the Mets FO has more information than I do. First, what was dealing for Zuber and then putting him in your minors? And sending Getvase away for him? Then, while agreed with not hurting the system in order to get an ace, is Blackburn really better than Houser?
It’s too bad that Senga and Scott got hurt at the wrong time, but I would have traded Severino and used Butto in his place, unless the return would have been what the Dodgers gave up for Flaherty - lame. The Tigers waited too long there. I understand the clubhouse dynamics may have sucked and two years ago Stearns traded Hader during a playoff chase and his team collapsed and he never got over it, but that’s why you signed Severino for he hasn’t lit the world on fire. Again, if you’re just getting average prospects, then no thank you.
For me, the key of these moves will be how well Blackburn does. If he can just pitch to a 4.00 ERA Stearns won that deal.
Let's give these subtle moves some time to gel.
As for Vientos, I truly project him next year to hit 45-50 home runs.
I will post up my thoughts on the deadline on Sunday
Gus, I believe Baseball America indicated 87 prospects changed hands in deals. Of those 87, they listed Gervase at 75, Thomas at 82, and Lara at 86, if my memory serves me correctly. So, I liked Gervase, but maybe the whole is less than the sum of the parts there.
I also saw a Power Ranking that has Phils # 1 and Mets # 13. Funny that the Mets have gained 9 games on those Phils over the past 7 weeks. Clearly a lot of the disparity in ranking is due to their current records. But are the Phillies better than the Mets?
I did see Garrett is throwing 97 again and scheduled for a rehab game in 2 days. Good news so far, besides the Foley showing last night. The roster will expand to 28 in a month, so the more arms, the merrier.
Well, Houser just got released, let's see who snaps him up. The White Sox need pitching. So I am fine with trying a new face in Blackburn.
Maybe he will be a true SP 5.
Vientos? WHen I saw those opposite field shots he was hitting in AAA, I was sold. When he struggled last year, I wondered. Now, I see a 40 HR future.
I would like to see Vientos move up in the batting order. Possibly a swap with Martinez in the third hole. Thoughts?
Remember when folks laughed at me when I said Vientos will turn out to be a better player than Stanton.
Rds
No one ever laughs at what you say
I like it. Or maybe swapping places with Pete would light a fire under the Polar Bear.
The discrepancy between Pete's # with bases empty vs with runners on is alarming to me. He's killed more rallies than he's taken advantage of is alarming. I like Pete, but I find myself cringing when I see him coming to the plate with 2 on and 1 out.
Bill, you would not want Pete signed to a LT deal, then, I trust.
Ray is a guru and a sage. I have agreed with Ray. Could Vientos be Mike Schmidt II? You start to wonder.
The Phils have Wheeler Nola and Suarez for a top 3 and Harper who is a real gamer in the Carter Knight Hernandez mold and that means something.
You trust wisely. I said before the seasonthat he'd have to EARN one, and I hoped he would.
But so far he hasn't.
What if Alonso takes the QO? What if Alonso accepts reality? Do you still cut him loose? I don’t see him getting a six year deal. I’d be surprised at a five year offer, besides the Mets.
I think Pete will dip hiss toe into free agency, especially with Boras telling him he's gonna get a big contract. ii think the Cubs would be very interested in him actually. They have no real first baseman last time I checked and Pete (like a lot of others) hits well there.
Hard to see Pete getting more than 3-4 years @ around$30m unless he has a monster production for balance of season. I'm against signing him unless we also sign Soto.
Give Pete 2 years, $60 million, and then let him hit the FA market. If not enough, see ya! Break the Bank for Soto.
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