Career of underwhelming NY Mets trade deadline addition just made a U-turn

When we think of the 2022 MLB trade deadline, plenty of underwhelming names come to mind. Daniel Vogelbach was by far the best but even he outwore his welcome with the New York Mets. Then there was his platoon partner Darin Ruf who still gives us nightmares. In the bullpen, Mychal Givens was hardly enough to bolster a relief corps in need of some additional help.

Somewhat forgotten, the Mets also added outfielder Tyler Naquin. Stop when you’ve heard this before: he ended up starting in right field plenty down the stretch in place of an injured Starling Marte.

Naquin’s time with the Mets abruptly came to a close after the 2022 season where he batted just .203/.246/.390 for them in 130 plate appearances. The lack of production was somewhat surprising as he had hit well in the past, notably owning a .809 OPS in 2021. His 8 hitless plate appearances with 7 strikeouts in 2023 for the Chicago White Sox is the last taste of Major League Baseball he has had. If he comes back again, he’ll do so as a pitcher.

Former Mets outfielder Tyler Naquin is doing a reverse Rick Ankiel

No one will ever be able to achieve the same level of success as Shohei Ohtani. It’s the reason why players like Mets prospect Nolan McLean have chosen to focus on pitching rather than try to hit his way to the major leagues. Naquin, on a minor league deal with the Cleveland Guardians where he played from 2016-2020, have given him the chance to reinvent himself as a pitcher.

Cleveland has been open to the idea of converting position players to pitchers. Current Mets minor leaguer and non-roster invitee Anthony Gose was one of their projects in recent seasons. Far less accomplished at the MLB level than Naquin who can still boast about a lifetime .263/.316/.445 slash line which is nothing to be ashamed about, Gose and the Guardians parted ways this offseason with the lefty owning a 4.78 ERA in 32 big league innings.

Naquin will put the adage “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” to the test. He turns 34 in late April. How hard can this pitching thing be?

Known for having a strong arm in the outfield during his best days, it takes much more than throwing hard to be an effective pitcher in the big leagues. Nonetheless, it’ll be an interesting story to follow.