Steve Sica- From Céspedes to PCA: The Mets’ Five Biggest Deadline Moves Since 2015

We’re eight days away from one of the most consequential days on the MLB calendar: the Trade Deadline. The Mets are very likely to be extremely active at the deadline. How aggressive they’ll be when it comes to moving prospects remains to be seen.

Over the last decade, the Mets have been no strangers to deadline drama. Let’s take a look back, for better or worse, at the top five Mets deadline deals since 2015.

Yoenis Céspedes powered the Mets to a Pennant in 2015

5. July 28, 2019
Mets receive Marcus Stroman from the Toronto Blue Jays for Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson

This trade took many fans by surprise. At the time, the Mets were 50-55 and seemingly poised to be sellers at the deadline. But BVW had other ideas when he acquired Marcus Stroman from Toronto in exchange for two Mets pitching prospects. Trading Kay and Woods Richardson was a big deal. Both were ranked as the Mets’ second- and third-best pitching prospects at the time, behind David Peterson.

I still remember the outrage on Mets Twitter that day, and rightfully so. The move made little sense for a team below .500 to trade away potential future rotation pieces. Stroman also came with his own antics, and many wondered how he would handle the bright lights of the New York media.

For what it’s worth, the team did take off from there. After the trade, the Mets went on to win 11 of their next 12 games, and by mid-August, they were in a Wild Card slot. They stayed in the playoff mix right up until the final week of the season, when a shaky bullpen and some bad luck kept them out of October baseball.

2019 had a very similar feel to 2024 post-deadline. The 2024 Mets had the advantage of the third Wild Card, but that 2019 team, with peak deGrom, Wheeler, Syndergaard, and Stroman, would have had one of the strongest rotations if they had made it to the playoffs. Stroman did his part, going 4-2 with a 3.77 ERA in 11 starts for the Mets.

Stroman remained a Met after the season. After sitting out the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he put together a solid 2021 campaign with a 3.02 ERA in 33 starts. The Mets let him walk after the 2021 season.

As for the two prospects who went to Toronto, Anthony Kay never lived up to the hype. He struggled in Toronto with a 5.48 ERA over four seasons. He did find his way back to the Mets in 2023, where he pitched three innings in relief across three outings, but he hasn’t pitched in the majors since.

Simeon Woods Richardson was traded again in 2021, this time from Toronto to Minnesota, where he is currently a starter for the Twins. This year, he has a 5-4 record with a 3.95 ERA. Maybe a reunion with the Mets is possible at this year’s deadline?

4. August 1, 2016
Mets receive Jay Bruce from the Cincinnati Reds for Max Wotell and Dilson Herrera

Coming off a year where they won the National League pennant, the Mets struggled in 2016 due to injuries. Still, by August, they were hovering in playoff contention. The Mets bought at the deadline and brought in Jay Bruce to spark the lineup.

This trade is perhaps best remembered for the prospect who almost went to Cincinnati: outfielder Brandon Nimmo. Thankfully, the rumors weren’t true. Instead, Dilson Herrera and Max Wotell were sent to Ohio.

Jay Bruce didn’t light it up immediately, but he contributed enough down the stretch to help push the Mets into a Wild Card berth. He posted a .685 OPS with eight home runs and 19 RBIs in 50 post-deadline games.

In 2017, Bruce had one of the best seasons of his career. In 103 games with the Mets, he hit 29 home runs, collected 75 RBIs, and had an .841 OPS. Unfortunately, the Mets lost 90 games that year and eventually traded Bruce to Cleveland for Ryder Ryan, who never made it to the majors.

As for the return, Max Wotell, a 2015 third-round pick, never made it past Single-A and hasn’t pitched professionally since 2018. Dilson Herrera, once one of my favorite prospects, batted .184 in 53 games with the Reds in 2018 and hasn’t played an MLB game since 2020.

3. July 30, 2023:
Mets receive Luisangel Acuña from the Texas Rangers for Max Scherzer

August 1, 2023:

Mets receive Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford from the Houston Astros for Justin Verlander

The 2023 season began with high expectations. Coming off a 100-win season and the signing of Justin Verlander, many believed the Mets would return to the playoffs. But those hopes faded quickly. By the end of June, the Mets were 36-46 and 18 games behind first-place Atlanta.

Steve Cohen and the front office had seen enough, and a fire sale began at the deadline. First, the Mets traded Max Scherzer to Texas in exchange for infield prospect Luisangel Acuña. He made his MLB debut the following season and played a key role in helping the Mets reach the playoffs in 2024, especially after Francisco Lindor went down with an injury in mid-September. He won Rookie of the Month in April 2025, and while he has struggled since, the Mets still see him as part of their future core.

Two days later, the Mets traded Justin Verlander back to Houston for top prospects Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford. Both became immediate standouts in the Mets' farm system. While neither has made their debut yet, Clifford leads all Mets minor leaguers in home runs and ranks as their number six prospect. Injuries have slowed Gilbert’s progress, but a strong July could push him to the big-league roster by September.

As for Scherzer and Verlander, both helped their new teams reach the ALCS, where they faced off against each other. Scherzer's Rangers got the better of Verlander’s Astros and went on to win the World Series over Arizona.

2. July 30, 2021
Mets receive Javy Báez and Trevor Williams from the Chicago Cubs for Pete Crow-Armstrong

This might go down as the worst trade of the Steve Cohen era. The Mets went all in on 2021 when they traded their 2020 first-round draft pick, Pete Crow-Armstrong, for Javy Báez.

At the time, the Mets were in first place by four games with a 55-48 record, but many sensed the team was barely hanging on. The trade for Báez was meant to push the offense over the edge. It did not. The Mets collapsed in August, going 9-19. By September 1, they were two games under .500 and five games behind Atlanta.

Things didn’t improve much in September. The Mets finished 77-85 and missed the playoffs. Báez performed well on the field with a .886 OPS, nine home runs, and 22 RBIs, but his off-field antics created tension with fans.

There was the infamous thumbs-down gesture he and Francisco Lindor made toward fans at Citi Field in early September. Lindor, already having a tough first season in New York, only alienated the fan base further, drawing the ire of both fans and the media.

To make matters worse, Pete Crow-Armstrong is now an All-Star in 2025 with the Cubs and is quickly becoming one of the best outfielders in the National League. Center field remains a glaring weakness for the Mets this season. Is this the worst trade in Mets history? Probably not, but it’s definitely one fans would like to take back.

Thumbs down on the trade that sent PCA to Chicago for Javy Baez

1. July 31, 2015
Mets receive Yoenis Céspedes from the Detroit Tigers for Michael Fulmer and Luis Cessa

The most consequential trade in Mets history? Maybe. Certainly the biggest of the last decade and maybe since the start of the century.

By the last day of July 2015, the Mets were a .500 team. Two days earlier, they had appeared to finalize a deal to acquire Carlos Gómez from Milwaukee in exchange for Wilmer Flores and Zack Wheeler. Flores was famously seen crying on the field that night when he thought he had been traded. That deal fell through, but less than 48 hours later, the Mets made an even bigger move by acquiring Céspedes from Detroit.

That same night, Wilmer Flores hit a walk-off home run against the Nationals in one of the most memorable moments in Mets history. Céspedes joined the team the next day and made an immediate impact. In 57 games, he helped lead the Mets to a division title with a .942 OPS, 17 home runs, and 44 RBIs. His go-ahead two-run homer in a September sweep of the Nationals that effectively sealed the division for New York.

Céspedes also played a key role in the Mets’ magical postseason run, as they beat the favored Dodgers and Cubs to reach the World Series.

Michael Fulmer found early success in Detroit, winning Rookie of the Year in 2016 and making the All-Star team in 2017. His career faded afterward, and as of July 2025, he is in the Royals' minor league system. Luis Cessa joined the Yankees in 2016 and spent six seasons in their bullpen with a 4.19 ERA. He last pitched in the majors in 2023 with Cincinnati and now plays in the Mexican League.

Céspedes returned to the Mets in free agency for 2016 and helped lead them to a Wild Card berth, marking the second time in franchise history the team made back-to-back postseason appearances.