No, this isn’t the move when Yoenis Cespedes arrived on a white horse (literally and figuratively) as the 2015 trade deadline loomed and led the Mets to the World Series. This isn’t Don Clendenon arriving just hours before the deadline on June 15, 1969. This was the final push the young Mets needed to shock the world a few months later.
There was no one-man rush this time, so David Stearns took a different tack: buying in bulk. For weeks, players have been urging Stearns to bolster the team’s stockpile, in honor of a team that rose from last in the National League to a tie for second place in the wild card stakes before Tuesday’s game against the Twins at Citi Field.
He did. It’s hard to say for sure that the Mets are better than they were on July 9, when general manager David Stearns acquired relief pitcher Phil Mutton from the Rays and began making six moves between then and 6 p.m. Tuesday night. But the Mets are certainly better than they were on July 9, when general manager David Stearns acquired reliever Phil Mutton from the Rays and began making six moves between then and 6 p.m. Tuesday night. differentIt’s quite different compared to back then.
It will probably be a footnote by the end of the season.
But Stearns did perform some basic baseball dentistry: He scanned the Mets roster for cavities and fixed what he could.
The Mets’ bullpen was so bad for over two months that it qualified for federal relief. Between May 1 and June 2, the Mets lost six games despite leading after eight innings (imagine how different their playoff chances would have been if they’d lost even half of those games). Even when the Mets started to win, there was a three-week period in which the bullpen’s ERA was close to 8.00.
Now there will be four new faces. Maton has pitched well, allowing just one run in seven innings. Ryne Stanek was added last weekend and was cut short in his first start Sunday, but was a key member of Houston’s championship team just two seasons ago. Then on Tuesday, Stearns added Tyler Zuber from the Rays and Huascar Brazovan from the Marlins. Out with the old, in with the new. We’ll see what sticks.
The Mets knew they needed depth in their starting rotation and acquired Paul Blackburn from the Athletics, hoping the move from Oakland to Flushing would work out for Blackburn much like the move for Chris Bassitt two years ago.
Finally, the Mets were beginning to get frustrated with DJ Stewart being their best option as a left-handed pitcher off the bench (after a couple of months or so of what most fans thought was the case), so Stewart was traded to Triple-A Syracuse and old friend Jesse Winker was acquired from the Nationals in what you have to believe will definitely be an upgrade.
Will this be enough?
Be sure to check out The Washington Post’s live coverage of the 2024 MLB trade deadline. Who will make the big splash: the Yankees or the Mets?
Really, it depends on what your definition of “enough” is. The biggest moves Wednesday were probably Marlins closer Tanner Scott (to the Padres) and Tigers starter Jack Flaherty (to the Dodgers). Should Stearns have been a part of those moves? He must be asking. Should he have started giving up key pieces of his future to get those deals done?
Look, he’s been outspoken about this since Day 1, and so has Steve Cohen: The Mets were committed to going down a conflicting path this season, hoping to maintain their playoff chances while developing, preserving and strengthening their farm system.
What’s interesting is that the first part – staying competitive – was the easy part, especially considering how much they’ve improved over the last month and a half. Many of the Mets’ most touted prospects have struggled or battled injuries this year. It’s not always easy to be patient with young players, but who knows what might have happened if the Mets had given up on Mark Vientos after last season, when he batted .211 with 71 strikeouts and just 46 hits.
Stearns and Cohen’s early assertions that the Mets were in the thick of playoff contention seemed like fantasy in May but proved true as August approached. Their push over the past seven weeks has transformed the team from a potential seller to a willing, if not aggressive, buyer.
It looks very different from even five days ago. The next few weeks will tell us if “different” becomes synonymous with “better.”
