The New York Mets took a conservative approach at the 2022 MLB trade deadline. Instead of hunting for more high-profile names to help the roster, general manager Billy Eppler and the front office decided to make smaller adjustments by bringing in role players, none of which have wowed.
Although Daniel Vogelbach immediately became a fan favorite, he has not sustained his hot hitting. Tyler Naquin has been pretty solid but Darin Ruf and Mychal Givens have been awful and Michael Perez has played just six games. Meanwhile, the Mets' lead in the NL East has dwindled to just one game entering today and the team has been playing miserably bad as of late.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Eppler said that the Mets were not going to throw their biggest prospects around to make trades. Although they had some lines up, he said, the cost and risk of the deals were not worth pulling the trigger.
“This wasn’t an exercise in hoarding [prospects],” Eppler said, via the New York Post. “This was about putting it on paper and being willing to go above our comfort level. But let’s not get reckless because we are trying to build a culture of sustainability and everything that comes with that.”
New York's desire to hold onto its top prospects is unsurprising given how many solid names the franchise has. Two of them, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos, have also been sorely needed amid injuries. But Eppler's take about midseason trades overall will leave Mets fans confused. He said that deadline trades “don’t move (percentage chances of a championship) that much.”
Eppler's take is extra confusing after last year's champion, the Atlanta Braves, turned their season around almost entirely because of an infusion of outfield talent at the trade deadline, which included the MVPs of the World Series (Jorge Soler) and NLCS (Eddie Rosario). The Houston Astros' 2017 acquisition of Justin Verlander also helped spark a championship run.
Even the Mets themselves know how big a midseason pickup can be. They traded for 2014 All-Star Yoenis Cespedes in 2015. He became the best hitter for the last New York team to win the NL Pennant. Although Eppler was not a part of the Mets back then, it's shocking to see his reluctance to big midseason trades. Not every midseason move goes well but teams in championship contention often need to take those chances in order to get the most out of their rosters.
Although Eppler isn't afraid to spend big on the team, which is a good trait for any baseball GM to have when the owner is willing to spend, his reluctance to trade prospects could harm the Mets' title chances.
Follow Us
Subscribe