The New York Mets were not necessarily expected to be buyers at the trade deadline, but a scorching hot June and July have put them in postseason position. While they didn't bring in any of the biggest names that were available, the Mets still had a solid deadline and got significantly better.
The Mets brought in four players that are all expected to contribute right away: reliever Ryne Stanek from the Seattle Mariners, outfielder Jesse Winker from the Washington Nationals, starting pitcher Paul Blackburn from the Oakland A's and reliever Huascar Brazoban from the Miami Marlins. Phil Maton also joined the Mets in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays earlier in the month.
It's clear that the Mets' focus during the trade deadline was to improve their bullpen. While they did not acquire any of the elite arms that were available like Tanner Scott, who the Marlins sent to the San Diego Padres, or Carlos Estevez, who the Los Angeles Angels sent to the Philadelphia Phillies, they did get some quality arms back.
Kodai Senga, who made his season debut on Friday after recovering from a shoulder injury, injured his calf and is expected to be out for the rest of the regular season. This forced the Mets, who were not initially targeting starting pitching at the trade deadline, to get some more depth because of Senga's injury. Blackburn will hopefully provide them with that depth.
Jesse Winker could be a difference maker for the Mets
The biggest move the Mets made was to trade for Winker, a former All-Star. Winker will start in right field while Starling Marte is on the injured list, and will continue to get at bats against right-handed pitching. Winker is slugging .418 and has hit 10 of his 11 home runs this season against RHPs.
Winker is the most proven commodity that the Mets traded for, and gives them as much depth as anyone else in baseball in the outfield. He makes the Mets' lineup even more dangerous.
The Mets could have swung for the fences, but instead they made some smaller moves in positions of need without giving up any significant prospects or major league talent.
Were these moves enough to keep the Mets in the Wild Card hunt? They just might have been, but they could have gone a bit bigger to really solidify themselves as true postseason contenders.
Overall grade: B
Follow Us
Subscribe
