Quiet Phillies addition of NY Mets legend’s cousin has spoiled one trade scenario

Last week’s story by ESPN’s Jeff Passan took a look at several trade scenarios across the league with one notable mention including the New York Mets trading Freddy Peralta to the Atlanta Braves. Peralta’s contract and possibility of being better in the final two months makes him someone any club looking to contend would have the desire to buy as long as the Mets aren’t holding out for a ransom.

In a division where only the Mets have flatlined and the Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and Miami Marlins are all expected trade deadline buyers, we shouldn’t rule out the chances of an intradivisional trade. David Robertson to the Marlins is one of the more recent examples of the Mets doing business with one of their NL East rivals.

Aside from a sale of Peralta to the Braves, there was another which could have made a lot of sense. Luis Robert Jr. going to the need-to-win-now Phillies was something we should have all accepted. That seems off the table. On June 11, a quiet Phillies trade which brought them Derek Hill might have been enough for what they needed in center field.

Luis Robert Jr. probably doesn’t make sense for the Phillies any longer

The tricky part of trading Robert is he has yet to come back and prove he’s healthy. Those opportunities will be limited before the August 3rd trade deadline. Anyone buying into him would be buying into the belief he can stay healthy. Doing that is foolish as he never can stay away from the IL for too long.

His contract complicates things, too. While already less than $10 million owed to him, it’s a large sum for a rental with so much risk. Hill at only $900K this season, gives the Phillies financial flexibility for other trades. Plus, he’s an unsustainable .354/.380/.583 in his first month with the club.

Hill has been a proven defender and speedster in his MLB career. An existing Mets connection as the cousin of Darryl Strawberry, he was someone that would have made sense for New York to acquire this offseason for some added depth at center field. They swung bigger by landing Robert.

A.J. Ewing’s success makes any future Robert decisions partially complete as there’s no reason to pick up his player option for next year. He isn’t worthy of the qualifying offer, which would be a raise and he’d gladly accept it. The best thing for the Mets is to pay the remainder of his 2026 salary and get a better return for him.

Exactly what are teams willing to give up? When a player like Hill can move and look like a solution at such a low prospect demand, the Mets shouldn’t expect a whole lot. The good news is they didn’t give up much to get him in the first place. Prepare for a guy who could be cut after one year with the organization or a young kid we forget about in two years.

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