Grading The 2024 Trade Deadline.

Posted by: Patrick Gorman 7/31/2024

As July 30th at 6 p.m. passed the MLB Trade Deadline has brought shock, confusion, and frustration among the baseball world. Surprisingly, our Mets came into the deadline with a Wild Card spot and were known as buyers rather than sellers which everyone thought we would be if you have watched from March to May. Let us break down what the team did to improve their roster as they hunt for October.

Phil Maton

This move was the first indication that David Stearns is going to reward his ball club by bringing in outside talent to make a run at the playoffs. Relief pitcher Phil Maton was acquired by The Rays for cash considerations and PTBNL. Maton had a rocky start to his season posting a 4.58 ERA in his 40 appearances with Tampa Bay, but he has been rock solid ever since he got traded to New York. In 7 appearances Maton has posted a 1.50 ERA in 7 innings. Maton also brings a veteran presence to this clubhouse and has postseason experience which could come into play if New York makes it to the dance.

Alex Young

This wasn't really a sexy move, but it indeed was a savvy move for David Stearns. Alex Young was claimed off waivers from San Francisco on July 17th and he has been rock solid. When Brooks Raley went down with Tommy John, New York was struggling to find a southpaw to get outs late in games. Danny Young would show flashes, but he needs more seasoning and Jake Diekman didn't know where the ball was going 99.9 percent of the time. Young since being claimed off waivers has pitched to 4.2 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts. It is an extremely small sample size , but he has been more effective than the other lefty options we have.

Ryne Stanek

I have wanted Stanek since last winter and now that we have him with his postseason experience I am excited to see what he brings to the table. The numbers aren't that pretty with a 4.78 ERA and his with New York didn't go as planned as he gave up some runs. The underlying stats show that he has been pitching into bad luck with a xERA of 3.50, but the most important factor is that he got swing and miss stuff. Stanek ranks in the 87th percentile in chase % and 87 percentile in whiff %. If Stanek can limit the hard hit balls and keep the ball in the park, then he is going to be a key weapon to get big outs in this stretch.

Jesse Winker

This was a very pleasant surprise because I really thought Washington wasn't going to trade in division and the fact we gave up nothing for his production was even more shocking the way this market has been. Jesse Winker is having a solid bounce back year posting a .259 Batting Average with a .792 OPS while having a 130 OPS+. This is a big upgrade for the outfield that has been struggling to find production in right field with Starling Marte being out. I assume Winker will be out there everyday against righties while Taylor will get the start against lefties. Once lovable villain, Jesse Winker is now joining forces with us to try and do something special this year.

Huascar Brazoban

This move was by far my favorite move The Mets made this deadline. Brazoban is a late bloomer of a pitcher being 34 years old, but do not let his age deceive you. In 2024, Brazoban has a 2.93 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 30 innings. Brazoban has also not given up an earned run in over a month which is equivalent to 14.2 innings with 19 strikeouts. The 34 year old is going to be a key piece in the present and future since he is under control for a couple more years.

Paul Blackburn

When Senga went down with a high-grade calf strain a starting pitcher became the top priority for this team leading up to the deadline. However, Houston decided to set the starting pitching market sky high when they acquired Yusei Kikuchi which made Stearn's job more difficult. Stearns did end up settling with long-time Oakland pitcher Paul Blackburn to beef up this rotation. Blackburn is well known for having a wide repertoire of pitches and throwing strikes consistently which is much needed in this rotation. His numbers aren't the greatest, but on the bright side it is not Tylor Megill and he will keep the offense in the games.

My overall grade for this deadline was a B. I thought Stearns did a really good job in a sellers market by not giving away any of the top end prospects in the farm. The only way I was okay with parting away with those big name prospects is if we were getting a young arm with control, but the prices were high for everyone so that cancels out. I do think the Senga injury will hurt this team in the long run because they do not have that stopper nor ace in that rotation which I think will keep them out of the playoffs. I sure hope they prove me wrong just like they have been all year.