The New York Mets made their first significant moves of the trade deadline, bolstering their relief pitching with a pair of veteran relievers.
First, in a controversial deal, the Mets dealt reliever Jose Butto and two popular prospects to the Giants for submariner Tyler Rogers. Those two prospects just happened to be exciting outfielder Drew Gilbert and right-handed pitcher Blade Tidwell. Earlier this season, Tidwell made his MLB debut and went 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA in four games (two starts).
First things first, this is an overpay. It doesn’t matter how desperate the Mets are for pitching across the board, particularly in their bullpen. Rogers, who has spent his entire career with the Giants up until this trade, is good, but not worth the return one expects for a star closer. At least compared to Jhoan Duran, who the Twins shipped to the Phillies on Wednesday night for prospects Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait .
Rogers, in this case, has worked primarily as a setup man in his career. He’s a valuable addition, especially since the Mets can now build a stronger bridge to closer Edwin Diaz. But two highly-touted youngsters? Particularly Gilbert, who was batting .255 with 14 home runs this year, mostly at Triple-A Syracuse.
Yet, such is the relief market this trade season. High-leverage arms are in high demand, and the Mets also need to add a starter if they can. The second-place Philadelphia Phillies just made their move, now it’s time for the Mets to make another.
Well, they kind of did! On top of Rogers, New York has traded for St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley. Three prospects will head to the Cardinals: 20-year-old infielder Jesus Baez, and pitching prospects Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt.
Mets fans can expect Helsley and Rogers to basically serve as joint setup man, each appearing depending on matchups. Rogers is the guy if manager Carlos Mendoza needs grounders and soft contact. His 64.4% ground ball rate (GB%) on the year is his highest since his rookie year and has induced nearly 26% soft contact for his career.
Helsley, who had a clean 3.00 ERA with 21 saves for St. Louis before the trade, is more your traditional strikeout pitcher. While Rogers throws only a sinker and slider, Helsley leans on his slider and fastball. He can also help spell Diaz at closer whenever Timmy Trumpet needs a day off.
All in all, though, these were both good deals for the Mets. Even if they did overpay for Tyler Rogers, he’s exactly the type of pitcher the team needs. Same goes for Helsley, though the Mets paid a fairer price for him.
So, is this the end of the Mets making trade until tomorrow’s deadline? We’ll soon see. New York’s rotation is pretty full, but there’s plenty of room for improvement. Everyone probably sleeps better if Clay Holmes and Sean Manaea have more support at the top of the rotation.
But as far as the bullpen goes? The Mets made out pretty well.
FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Mets boost bullpen, acquire RPs Ryan Helsley & Tyler Rogers | Elite Sports NY