MMO Roundtable: How Would You Grade the Mets Trade Deadline?

The trade deadline has come and gone. We shared with you what we thought our ideal trade deadline would be. Did it happen? Here’s how we’re grading the Mets trade deadline. Chris Bello I would grade this deadline an A- for David Stearns. They added a middle-of-the-order bat in Jesse Winker, solidifying the lineup with […]

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The trade deadline has come and gone. We shared with you what we thought our ideal trade deadline would be. Did it happen? Here’s how we’re grading the Mets trade deadline.

Chris Bello

I would grade this deadline an A- for David Stearns. They added a middle-of-the-order bat in Jesse Winker, solidifying the lineup with a dangerous left-handed bat. Paul Blackburn to the rotation will certainly give the Mets stability. He’s a solid arm that made an All-Star appearance in 2022, and was fantastic to start 2024 before some rough outings and injury. Stearns also added two arms to shore up the bullpen — the weakest part of the roster. Huascar Brazobán is legit and can pitch late innings, and Tyler Zubar has the potential to be solid in a middle relief role.

Add those moves to the earlier Stanek and Maton trade, and the Mets did well. More importantly, they didn’t lose any major prospects. The only thing I would have liked was for Stearns to get a legit lights-out arm for the bullpen, but it’s understandable why he didn’t since the market price was egregiously high.

Photo by Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Jorge Eckardt

B+. I was tempted to go A- or even A, but ultimately I ended up here. Let’s start with the good, and there’s a lot of it. Jesse Winker is a great addition. Starling Marte is probably out for a while, and the Mets were just playing Triple-A quality OFs too often. Winker is a big lefty bat who should slot in really well behind Alonso.

I think they did a good job adding pitching in the context of this market. Some of the prices on mediocre arms were just insane. Adding Paul Blackburn and then four very capable relievers has (hopefully) raised the floor of the bullpen in a big way. There were no stars, but the price of the “stars” was frankly insane (Tanner Scott).

Now, the bad, and really, it’s just one thing: The Mets did not add a significant lefty reliever. That is a massive hole in the bullpen. Scott’s price was insane, and it’s good they didn’t pay it, but Andrew Chafin went for a price that felt like it was very attainable. And, he went to a team in the Texas Rangers who are probably not true playoff contenders this year, so I doubt they would have gotten into a serious bidding war. Right now, Chafin looks like a big miss. But overall, it is a really solid deadline. Pitching prices were high, and Stearns avoided paying anything crazy while upgrading the pen.

Mathias Altman-Kurosaki

The Mets get a B+ this deadline. They didn’t make any huge splashes, but they checked almost every box without giving up much. They left a little to be desired by not getting a left-handed reliever. Hopefully Alex Young and Danny Young can keep their recent success going. Overall, this was a solid deadline for David Stearns and company.

Johnluke Chaparro

Stearns and company get a B plus from me. Adding a bunch of cost-controlled arms without killing the farm, as well as getting a fixable starter and replacing DJ Stewart‘s lack of production, makes for a solid day. I would have loved to have seen them grab another starter and maybe another lefty reliever, though. I guess they really believe in Gage and Danny Young. Overall, it was a solid day to add to already solid moves made by the Mets. Depth, depth, depth!

Dave Melendi

C+. I am underwhelmed. I dreamt of Blake Snell and Tanner Scott and got Paul Blackburn and Huascar Brazobán. I know it was a seller’s market, but I would have dealt prospects for a better chance at getting to and winning in October. And according to Baseball America, Tyler Stuart, at No. 23, is the Mets’ highest-rated prospect. So I don’t think it’s mortgaging the future to deal any of the minor leaguers. I never thought the Mets would see .500 after May. But at some point in June (maybe during the OMG concert), I thought this team morphed into something special. And with the Braves’ injuries and the Phillies and Dodgers looking vulnerable, I thought this was a great year for David Stearns to go for it.

Christian De Block

The Mets earn a B+ from me. Getting Blake Snell or Kevin Gausman would have pushed it toward an A- or an A. Still, it’s a very solid deadline. Paul Blackburn isn’t a flashy addition, but he is an established big-league starter who will eat innings at the back end of the rotation—a need that presented itself the second Kodai Senga was injured.

The bullpen has been up and down, but with season-ending injuries hitting Brooks Raley and Drew Smith, reinforcements were needed. Help has arrived with the additions of Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek and Huascar Brazobán. Tanner Scott would have been a fantastic addition, but the price was too steep. If Sean Reid-Foley and Reed Garrett return, they have the pieces to be a very solid bullpen down the stretch.

The Mets’ offense has been rolling for the better part of two months. The one missing piece was a left-handed bat that could play a corner outfield spot or be used as a pinch hitter. Jesse Winker can flourish in either of these roles. Oh, and he has a great relationship with the fans. Personally, he is my favorite addition of them all. Overall, the Mets made improvements in every department. They weren’t the biggest winners, but they were certainly winners.

Paul Blackburn. Photo by: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Mancuso

A-, David Stearns deserves the benefit of the doubt. On paper, his deadline moves didn’t do much but improve the club at the margins. However, given his history of acquiring unheralded players that aid a postseason push, the impact of Brozoban, Blackburn, and crew can’t be overstated. Although the Mets didn’t acquire any big names, given the Stearns’s past, don’t doubt the impact of the newest Mets.

The franchise set a goal pre-season: compete now and set the pipeline up to compete in a sustainable manner in the future. Considering the front office made moves to improve the present roster without mortgaging the future, this viable goal seems well on its way.

Allison Waxman

Solid A- This was a seller’s market and David Stearns & co. played it right. They restocked the rotation and bullpen with arms and even got a bat without giving up a Top 20 prospect. Compared to what some teams paid, that’s a win in my books. Stearns had to reconstruct and essentially rebuild the bullpen here to really make a run for a postseason berth. He’s shown he’s not afraid to make the big moves (DFA-ing galore), but he also makes the smart moves. That’s why the Mets hired him.

The Mets are also in an interesting position because this wasn’t a year they planned to necessarily “go for it” and spend like crazy in the offseason and trade away top-tier prospects. Their goal always was to contend and then assess where this team was come the deadline. Stearns made these trades with that philosophy in mind and without sacrificing the organization’s future. Overall, are the Mets a better team than they were yesterday? Yes. Is this a team that can definitely win them a WS ring? A trade for a top-line starter like Snell or Skubal might tip the scales, but that was never their goal.

Mojo Hill

I’m gonna say B- (with a big boost from including Jesse Winker, who was acquired a couple of days before the deadline). I feel like they got some solid, if mostly unexciting, pieces to fill some holes without necessarily making any big splashes. The plus side of that, though, is that they didn’t have to give up any of their top 18 prospects, and they still managed to improve the team.

A guy like Paul Blackburn is not the Blake Snell people were hoping for, but should be a fine backend starter, which is certainly a valuable asset nonetheless. Huascar Brazobán is the most interesting addition to me, given that he’s a relatively “young” major leaguer with control through 2028, yet he’s already 34. He should be effective, though, and one of this bullpen’s better arms. Overall, there weren’t really any “Wow” moves (except maybe Winker), but Stearns did a solid job to make some marginal improvements.

John Sheridan

A+. David Stearns somehow turned the Mets’ biggest weakness in the bullpen into a strength. He did that by giving up a low prospect cost at a time when teams were grossly overpaying for rental players.

Blackburn is a solid back-of-the-rotation option who will thrive working with Jeremy Hefner. Obtaining him removed Tylor Megill from the rotation and assured Jose Buttó that he would stay in the bullpen.

The Mets have a real bridge to Edwin Díaz with Phil Maton and now Huascar Brazobán.

We no longer have to worry about Jesse Winker killing the Mets. Rather, he’s a middle-of-the-order hitter who makes a deep lineup even better. His acquisition also meant DJ Stewart is now in Syracuse.

We can lament not getting Tarik Skubal or Blake Snell, but no one got them.

All told, these moves meant no more losing games because the bullpen was largely inept. The floor was raised significantly, and arguably, in the aggregate, it should ensure the Mets make the postseason.

Stearns threaded the needle perfectly, and we should get ready for October.

Michael Mayer

I’m going with a B+. David Stearns did a fine job filling the Mets’ needs without giving up significant prospect talent, particularly staying away from guys with high ceilings. I believe you can say that, in the moment, Stearns clearly won four of the trades and the other two were at least even. That’s a tough thing to do as a buyer in a market that certainly looked to favor sellers. Mets fans should be happy they have a strong front office right now and potentially for a long time.

Okay, so it’s not all roses, haha. I like the moves Stearns made, and I know the pitching prices were pretty high, but I still would’ve liked to see the rotation upgrade be at least a step above Blackburn. He’s a back-end arm, and the Mets needed more of a 2-3, at least.  I would’ve been comfortable with the Mets using a package of Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuña to lure a team into getting a starter. Multiple of those higher-echelon arms stayed put, though, meaning it would’ve been tough, and that’s ultimately why I still went with a really strong B+.

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