Tom Brennan - Post-Trade Deadline Mets Thoughts

 

“Don’t ever stop thinking and questioning…”

 

FIRST, THE UNTRADED?

Jorge Polanco? He likely got rushed back in his semi-impaired physical state, to see if they could get him to show that he was fairly healthy and producing and, hence, tradable.

In July, through Aust 1, however, he was an incomprehensible 4 for 51 (a double and 3 singles), and 3 walks. 

Not tradable, obviously. Not even the Savannah Bananas would want him.

Especially since he is owed the proportional remainder of his $20 million salary this year - and $20 million for next year, too. 

Me? I’d tell him, we are shutting you down to get you healthier for 2027. 

Call Mauricio back up.

Luis Roberts? They would have had to eat too much salary to move him.

Next:

THE TRADES?

The Mets cut payroll. A lot,

Freddy Peralta (Rays), AJ Minter (Twins), Huascar Brazoban (White Sox), Holmes and Taylor (Cubs), Weaver (Pittsburgh) out. 

Quantity in.

For Minter, the Mets got IF Bruin Agbayani’s and OF Billy Amick.

For Peralta, the Mets got OF Aidan Smith, RHP Gary Gill Hill and 2B Émilien Pitre, Tampa Bay's 15th, 26th- and 27th-ranked prospects.

For Brazoban, Chicago sent AA RHP #18 Gabe Davis (22) and “out of top 30” AAA RHP Zach Franklin (27) to the Mets. 

Etc.

The Mets’ Prospect Top 30 has NINE NEW PROSPECTS, including # 1 Jefferson Rojas and # 11 Sammy Stafura.

I won’t analyze the players acquired here. I say... Let them prove (or disprove) themselves. A few of the hitters clearly should make it, and hopefully be better than the likes of Baty and Vientos. Rojas and Stafura, Agbayani and Pitre, I like for their high impact hitting and low whiff rates. If players have high whiff rates, they are Fool’s Gold almost every time, so watch for that.

So far…they are hitting well.  Keep on ROCKING.

Pitchers?. They almost always make it, but for many, it is no more than a MLB cameo to temporarily fill in, and nothing more. The Mets picked up 5 prospect righty pitchers, none that look like “WOW” stuff.

QUANTITY VS. QUALITY?

Do you remember when the Mets traded Tom Seaver to the Mets and got quantity in return?  Bad deal. I suspect that giving up quality to get quantity almost never benefits you. It may improve your minor league teams. But the real purpose, to acquire future QUALITY Major League players, usually does not work out well in Metsville.

Maybe this time will be different, by 2028. I am optimistic. I get into it a bit on Sunday, as far as revised Top 30 prospects as the list has been heavily and rightfully revamped. Think “UPGRADE”.

Next:

CALL UP’S?

You’ve dealt Freddy Falter. Would you then promote a starter who, in his last 2 AAA starts, allowed 1 run and 6 hits in 10 innings, and fanned 16? I would. 

His name? Jonah Tong. Then, he got murdered in a mid week start. He gave up 5 HRs in 5 innings. He gave up just 3 homers in 5 months in the minors last year. More about that on Sunday, too.

Including the early David Peterson trade, the Mets dealt way SEVEN PITCHERS! Wow! It sure seems the pitching’s major gut job will lead to more losses than otherwise in 2026.

POSITIONING?

Besides salary reductions from trade-aways, there is close to a 1:1 additional savings in luxury taxes. It adds up. And, of course, an increased chance of getting a highly valuable top 6 draft pick.

OK, now let’s get that # 1 overall pick and turn the calendar back to 1984-86.

BOBBY OJEDA KNOWS B.O. WHEN HE SMELLS IT. SO DO WE.

From the NY Post:

“I try not to even think about it because it’s so frustrating,” Ojeda told SNY. “I really think it’s on Stearns. 

“He built this thing and I don’t think he believes in intangibles, which I believe are so important to a winning ball-club. 

“I don’t feel like he’s taken enough accountability either. 

“See, you got me talking about this and now I’m sweating…

…because it makes me mad.“

US?  WE CAN SMELL THE B.O., TOO.  WE ARE MAD, TOO.

Meanwhile, the Yankees needed a hitter, so they went out and got Luis Garcia from the Washington Nationals. He was only leading the NL in slugging percentage at .560.  

The Yanks do NOT fool around.

After the deal, their ace pitcher Gerrit Cole said (NY Post), about his team:

“It’s one of the blessings about playing for the Yankees. 

“The organization is always pushing forward and doing their best to improve the team whenever they get the opportunity to. 

“So as a Yankee player, it’s a beautiful position to be in because you can trust what the organization has done over the years.” 

Which led me to think: 

Do any of the Mets’ core players trust the Mets organization?

As a former Brooklyn Nets fan, I saw first a Russian billionaire owner and then a subsequent Chinese billionaire owner try to buy a championship by acquiring aging star talent for innumerable future draft picks. It failed miserably both times. I had little trust, leading to becoming a FORMER fan. The Knicks, like the Yanks, are successful and more fun to follow.

Stop doing this old age home crap with the Mets. Grow organically.

The Mets’ prospect bin is heavily loaded with hitters now, but still light on pitchers.