Grading each Mets deadline get
Going into the 2022 MLB trade deadline, the New York Mets were expected to be one of the most active teams, with glaring holes to fill, and aspirations to win it all. However, come 6:00 PM on August 2nd, their haul seemed a bit underwhelming. On deadline day and in the days before, they acquired 1B/DH Daniel Vogelbach, C Michael Perez, OF Tyler Naquin, RP Phillip Diehl, LF/DH Darin Ruf, and RP Mychal Givens, while giving up RP Colin Holderman, 3B/DH JD Davis, and prospects Hector Rodriguez, Jose Acuna, Nick Zwack, Carson Seymour, Thomas Szapucki, and Saul Gonzalez. The astonishing thing about the Mets deadline is that they did not acquire what was widely considered to be their top priority, a reliable lefty relief arm. These are my thoughts on each individual move, and the deadline as a whole.
Trade #1:
Mets acquire 1B/DH Daniel Vogelbach from the Pirates in exchange for RP Colin Holderman.
By doing this, the Mets filled out one half of their DH platoon. Vogelbach is a righty-killer, sporting a 153 wRC+ against them, compared to a 32 when facing southpaws. The Mets only plan on having him face righties, which has worked out very well so far. Colin Holderman looked very promising for the Mets in his limited time, with a 2.04 ERA in 17.2 innings while touching 99 on the radar gun, but the Mets had to give up controllable players to get controllable players, and it was a necessary move to improve the team.
The grade: A
Trade #2:
Mets acquire C Michael Perez from the Pirates in exchange for cash considerations.
Not much to say about this one. Got (not very good) depth for the catcher position for cash. Not worth assigning a grade.
Trade #3:
Mets acquire OF Tyler Naquin and RP Phillip Diehl in exchange for prospects Hector Rodriguez and Jose Acuna.
This trade was to shore up the Mets bench, giving them a far better replacement for Travis Jankowski, recently claimed off of waivers by the Mariners. Naquin has a 118 wRC+ against righties, and has and will be used once in a while in left field, on Mark Canha off-days. Phillip Diehl was likely a throw-in, giving the Mets left-handed relief depth, but probably won’t pitch any meaningful innings in the majors this year. The prospects going back the Reds way are not well-known, but are pieces with upside not expected to be ready for years. Jose Acuna is a 19 year old in Low-A, who had a 1.13 ERA in 8 innings for Port St. Lucie, and Hector Rodriguez is a second basemen with a 153 wRC+ in the Florida Complex League. Both were borderline top 30 prospects for the Mets, and feels like a fair price for what they received.
The grade: B+
Trade #4:
Mets acquire LF/DH Darin Ruf in exchange for DH JD Davis and prospects Thomas Szapucki, Nick Zwack, and Carson Seymour.
When Andy Martino broke this trade and announced JD Davis as the piece going back to the Giants, I thought it was possible it was JD by himself. But, then it was revealed that the Mets also sent 3 top 30 prospects, including Zwack and Seymour, who many have top 15, and even some top 10, and it felt like there had to be more coming back the Mets way. But, there wasn’t. It looked like the Mets were targeting controllable players who can also make a big impact down the stretch and in the playoffs. Darin Ruf is under contract through 2023 with a team option for $3.5 million for 2024. Vogelbach, their other DH get, has a team option for $1.5 million for 2023, and is covered by arbitration in 2024. Maybe the Mets plan on platooning these two for next year as well. Ruf has a 151 wRC+ against lefties in 2022, and complements Vogelbach in the DH spot. Nick Zwack is a 24 year old in High-A, who has a 1.84 ERA in 63.2 innings for Brooklyn, and Carson Seymour has a 3.68 ERA in 51.1 innings, also in High-A. Both are 2021 Mets draftees. This felt like a pretty hefty price to pay for a 36 year old platoon bat, but it filled a big need, and was the last piece to the Mets DH puzzle.
The grade: C+
Trade #5:
Mets acquire RP Mychal Givens from the Cubs in exchange for prospect Saul Gonzalez.
Givens is having a very strong year for the Cubs, with a 2.66 ERA in 40.2 innings. He is currently riding a 17.1 inning scoreless streak, dating back to June 14th. His only real issue has been allowing too many walks, 4.2 per 9 innings. He essentially replaces Colin Holderman in the Mets ‘pen, meaning they technically netted 0 relievers at the deadline, which is less than ideal. They got Givens for Saul Gonzalez, who is a lottery ticket arm at best.
The grade: A
Overall, the Mets did the bare minimum at the deadline. They did upgrade DH spot, added a reliever, and patched up the bench, but fell short of filling holes at catcher, and in the pen, where a reliable lefty is all but missing. Had they added that lefty arm, the deadline goes from underwhelming to a success, but alas, they did not.
The deadline grade: C+
