Reese Kaplan -- Revisiting the Haul Gotten During Eppler's Fire Sale

When the Mets had their huge fire sale in Billy Eppler's and Buck Showalter’s final seasons at the helm you saw big name pitchers Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, David Robertson, Mark Canha, Tommy Pham and Dominic Leone during the 2023 strategy of giving up for that season in the hopes of building something for the future. 

Now nearly two full years later, there are no clear winners in this group of transactions.  The All Star pitchers have not pitched more than they have pitched while a few of the newly acquired baby Mets have also had trouble staying on the field.  The Jett Williams time on the IL pretty much cost him his 2024 season but he’s back at it again now. 

Somewhat lost in the shuffle was fellow diminutive outfielder Drew Gilbert.  He’s playing center field well, got his batting average up to nearly .270 and currently thriving on an 11-game hitting streak.  His power is not eye popping, but thus far it appears that he should be good for 20 dingers per season and a dozen stolen bases.  For a 5’9” 24-year-old, that’s not bad at all.  Given the ongoing hole in center field due to the Jose Siri long term injury, is it possible to see Gilbert make his major league debut during the 2025 season?

Right now it would appear that the Mets are a bit crowded on their roster with Jeff McNeil taking more chances in CF in order to give fellow baby Met Luisangel Acuna the chance to play regularly at second base.  Many wonder why Acuna and McNeil have not reversed given Acuna’s speed and more extensive experience in the outfield, but when you have two of them hitting well over .280 you don’t want to upset the apple cart.

Without either an injury or major slump it might be a bit difficult to shoehorn Gilbert into the big club’s lineup.  Obviously he’s not replacing Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo recently has started showing more life in his bat than he did this season and the previous one.  Consequently center field seems the more likely location for Gilbert to play if indeed a promotion is ever made.

Another player obtained during 2023 was first baseman Ryan Clifford.  He’s shown the ability to put the ball over the fence regularly, but like many other young sluggers he has struggled a bit with both his batting average and racking up high strikeout totals.  The 2025 season has been more of the same.  Thus far he has 3 HRs but 33 strikeouts in just 77 ABs to go along with a sub-Mendoza batting average.  For folks envisioning him as a possible Pete Alonso replacement when the Polar Bear saunters into a second consecutive year of free agency, it would seem that the 21 year old in Binghamton may not yet be ready to assume that advancement. 

Then there’s the aforementioned Jett Williams.  This year he’s off to a hot start, hitting over .300 and working on a pace to get close to 40 SBs.  He may be the more likely future center fielder than Gilbert unless they deem the long ball more important than OBP, speed and defensive versatility.  He's got that kind of electric energy that makes you want to see him play on the field, on the bases and at the plate.  He has a little bit of power but his strong eye and great base running are going to be his primary weapons as he advances up to Syracuse and eventually to Queens.  Again they must decide if he's an infielder or an outfielder, much like the choice with Luisangel Acuna.