To David Stearns, the story of the week for the Mets isn’t the gamers they acquired on the commerce deadline; it’s concerning the gamers they gave up.
The Mets turned 10 minor leaguers and one massive league reliever into two high-end relievers, one left-handed high-leverage reliever, and an athletic middle fielder, buying and selling for right-handers Tyler Rogers, Ryan Helsley, left-hander Gregory Soto and outfielder Cedric Mullins during the last week. They gave up one pitching prospect who was ranked extremely in their very own system (right-handed starter Blade Tidwell), however not amongst baseball’s top-100 prospects.
“Our amateur talent acquisition departments and our player development group put us in position to be able to have this type of deadline,” the Mets president of baseball operations stated Thursday on a Zoom name. “We were able to go out and acquire players that we think are really going to help us at the major league level, and not touch some really high upside players at the top of our system.”
These high-upside prospects embody right-handed starters Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong, and infielder Jett Williams. The membership additionally saved all 4 of their younger infielders who’re at present on the main league roster, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Luisangel Acuña and Ronny Mauricio.
Whereas it wasn’t precisely stunning that the Mets saved all 4 of them, it was stunning that the membership didn’t purchase a beginning pitcher.
Accidents have key starters restricted within the pitches they will throw, and Clay Holmes seems to have run out of gasoline as a starter, however Stearns endorsed him as a starter, a lot as supervisor Carlos Mendoza did Wednesday.
“I think Clay, from a physical standpoint, is in really good shape, I think the stuff, for the most part, has still been there,” Stearns stated. “But you’re right — we’ve got to get a little deeper into games. Clearly, Clay knows that. He’s working hard to do that, and I think we’ll be able to see it.”
The beginning pitching market wasn’t what the Mets, or different groups, anticipated. There have been about 10 starters moved. The Mets opted to not seize larger names like J.P. Sears, Merrill Kelly, Bailey Falter or Shane Bieber.
The remainder of the group was much less intriguing: Mike Soroka, who hasn’t posted an ERA beneath 3.00 since 2019; veteran right-hander Charlie Morton, who’s 41 and began the season 0-7 with an 8.35 ERA in his first 11 begins, however has an ERA of two.88 since; former Yankees lefty Nestor Cortes, who has made solely two begins this 12 months; and rookie right-hander Ryan Berget, who’s having an excellent season, however is in the end nonetheless unproven.
Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera are nonetheless with the Miami Marlins. The membership is attempting to make a push for a Wild Card spot.
“There were some starting pitchers that were ultimately traded, [but] probably not every starting pitcher that was rumored to be traded was available was ultimately moved,” Stearns stated. “We had been engaged, as I’ve stated all through. You already know, I feel there are a number of methods to construct a pitching workers, and we centered on the again finish of the pitching workers, the bullpen.
“We’re really happy with the arms were able to acquire who we’re going to pitch out of our ‘pen.”
The query now turns into, the place do the children play, and the way typically will they play? The Mets nonetheless have Jeff McNeil and Starling Marte who want at-bats as nicely. Marte has been productive when wholesome over the previous couple of months, and McNeil has seen the majority of his taking part in time in middle discipline.
Stearns nonetheless sees McNeil as a helpful outfielder, however stated he’ll get DH at-bats and extra time at his major place, second base. He’s one of the best on a regular basis second baseman on the roster between the offense and protection he supplies, however meaning Brett Baty, who performs second and third, should struggle for enjoying time with McNeil at second and Mauricio and Vientos at third.
It might imply lesser roles for Baty and Acuña, who is a good defender at infield and middle discipline, however can’t but hit on the big-league degree constantly. The Mets have been dividing up taking part in time primarily based on matchups, and so they’ll proceed to take action, although to what extent is unknown.
“I think all of those guys are going to get plenty of time,” Stearns stated. “Is there going to be one or two guys on the bench each day? Yeah, and then they’re probably going to get a really leverage pinch-hitter at-bat late in the game. I think Mandy does a great job of figuring out who the right guys are for the lineup, given who we’re facing, the attributes of the opposing pitcher, and the attributes of the opposing bullpen.”
This isn’t about capitalizing on a championship “window” of kinds this 12 months. This was about giving the Mets an opportunity to win a World Collection, which is now a perennial aim. Stearns thinks he completed that.
“I don’t view this as a window,” Stearns stated. “Our responsibility here is to give ourselves a chance to make the playoffs and ultimately, win a World Series every single year.”
Initially Revealed: July 31, 2025 at 8:58 PM EDT
