NY Mets may find out quickly if the Orioles robbed them at the trade deadline

The deadline to finalize 40-man rosters in preparation for the Rule 5 draft passed on November 18. Many prospects were added to rosters, some of which were former New York Mets prospects. The Mets were quite active at the trade deadline, with two of their moves involving the Baltimore Orioles. One trade saw them acquire left-handed reliever Gregory Soto, and the other saw them land center fielder Cedric Mullins. The Mets sent a total of five prospects between the two trades, and two have already been added to the Orioles’ 40-man roster. However, the Mets may soon find out how badly the Orioles robbed them at the deadline.

One is right-hander Anthony Nunez. Nunez is an interesting case. Initially drafted in the 29th round of the 2019 draft as a high schooler by the San Diego Padres, Nunez struggled badly as an infielder and was eventually released in 2021. Instead of retiring, Nunez went to college at the University of Tampa. After serving as a two-way player in 2024, the Mets signed Nunez out of college, and he showed a lot of promise in 2025.

Nunez tossed a total of 56.2 innings for High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton, along with the O’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. He worked to the tune of a 2.06 ERA, 2.38 FIP, and 0.81 WHIP. The right-hander struck out a whopping 37.7% of opponents, with a 50% ground ball rate, and a 0.32 HR/9 ratio. He also had a respectable 10.9% walk rate. Nunez throws in the mid-90s with his fastball, while mixing in a sinker with similar velocity, a low-90s cutter, and an upper-80s slider and change-up.

Two NY Mets trade deadline deals may look even worse after recently 40-man roster additions by the Orioles.

The second prospect is Cameron Foster. Foster was a 14th-round pick by the Mets in 2022 out of McNeese State University. While he pitched as a starter and reliever between 2023 and 2024, he was fully committed to the bullpen in 2025, and it worked out exceptionally well for him. Foster tallied 46.1 for Binghamton, along with Syracuse, and the O’s Triple-A team, posting a 3.11 ERA, 2.30 FIP, and 1.17 WHIP.

Foster’s peripherals were outstanding. He struck out nearly a third of batters with a 32.6% K%. The right-hander was not prone to allowing the long ball either, with a HR/9 of 0.39. Foster did well at limiting walks, with an 8.4% BB%. Foster also averages out in the mid-90s with his four-seamer. The rest of his pitch mix includes a low-80s slider, an upper-70s curveball, and an upper-80s cutter.

Meanwhile, Soto and Mullins did very little in New York. Soto pitched 24 innings, while posting a 4.50 ERA and allowing 33 hits over just 24 innings of work. On the plus side, he struck out 26 batters with only six walks, but his -0.96 win percentage added was the second worst of any player on the Mets who threw at least 20 innings out of the pen. Mullins only batted for a .565 OPS, .258 wOBA, and 66 wRC+ over 143 plate appearances. He had just +0.2 fWAR, with the only thing keeping him from falling into the negatives being his solid defense in center field, where he had +1 defensive run saved and +2 outs above average. 

Given how poorly both Soto and Mullins did, both trades could quickly turn even more sour for the Mets than they already have. The Orioles selecting both Foster and Nunez for the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft puts them one step closer to the Major Leagues. The Orioles' bullpen performed poorly in 2025, will be without closer Felix Hernandez in 2026, and they’ve yet to make a significant addition to their depth chart, which could mean that we may end up finding out sooner rather than later.