NY Mets demoting Luisangel Acuna flatlined any remaining trade value

The New York Mets aren’t being secretive about how they really feel about Luisangel Acuna. The top ranked prospect in their system not all that long ago had been with the MLB club all season and yet he couldn’t seem to find his way into a game as anything more than a late-inning defensive replacement or pinch runner. At-bats were difficult to find. It only made it harder for him to break out of the funk he’s in after winning April NL Rookie of the Month honors. Before officially petrifying on the bench, the Mets mercifully sent him down to Triple-A at the start of last week.

Acuna was viewed as one of the contenders to take the second base job away from Jeff McNeil. With McNeil taking over the role as one of the more dominant hitters in the Mets lineup, there is no job to take. Second base, some center field, and even spot starts in the corner will keep McNeil around and in the middle of the lineup.

As for Acuna, he goes down to the minor leagues to actually play. In doing so, the Mets burned through his final minor league option. Ergo, he’s going to need to be in the majors in 2026 unless released first.

A last remnant of Luisangel Acuna’s trade value was used when the Mets demoted him

Acuna’s value wasn’t going down by not playing. It stalled out. Teams aren’t itching to acquire him in the coming weeks any more than they would have been a month ago. Even if it’s plain to see the Mets don’t really have eyes for him taking a future role, there should be interested ball clubs who might have a little more patience with the speedy infielder. Unfortunately, with only a limited amount of time to actually figure out what he can contribute at the MLB level, many ball clubs are likely to be hesitant to acquire him at all.

A poor showing last year in Triple-A already had many questioning exactly how good of a player Acuna could be. A strong September following his debut seemed to brush aside those doubts. Unfortunately, outside of that brilliant final month and the first to start this year, Acuna has been irrelevant and untrusted. The team hasn’t even deployed him in center field regularly despite having the need at the position. He is at the floor of what he could have reached; the 26th man on a major league roster.

The Mets had a decision to make. Do they keep Acuna around on the MLB roster to do very little or see if he can get hot in the minors and maybe increase his trade value? Better yet, maybe he proves them wrong and starts to play well. The day prior’s demotion of Francisco Alvarez signaled how no young player with minor league options is safe. Ronny Mauricio better wake up and grab a coffee while he’s at it. The same goes for Brett Baty.

Someone was going to get pinned in this triple threat match between Acuna, Mauricio, and Brett Baty. They couldn’t all co-exist. Acuna’s flat on his back right now. Can he kick out and make a triumphant return to the major leagues? If so, it feels like it’ll be in a different team’s colors. He isn't playing amazingly well in the minors.