NY Mets-Orioles trade from last summer is going from bad to worse

The Cedric Mullins trade was an outright disaster for the New York Mets last year, as the veteran outfielder hit a paltry .182/.284/.281 (66 wRC+) while striking out in nearly one-fourth of his trips to the plate. He hasn't been any better in his first act with the Tampa Bay Rays, but that doesn't change his status as one of the uglier trade acquisitions of the David Stearns era.

Thankfully, the team's newest center fielder, Luis Robert Jr., has had a much more fortuitous start to his Mets career. The best way to get over a trade bust is to bring in a trade win, after all.

But while Robert thrives and Mullins struggles, it's the Baltimore Orioles who appear to have made out like bandits. They received three pitching prospects in that original Mullins deal, and one has already started making his mark in the big leagues.

Through his first two appearances (covering four innings), Anthony Nunez has allowed just one run while striking out five hitters. If he emerges as a key bullpen piece this year, it's only going to make the Mullins deal harder to swallow.

Anthony Nunez's electric MLB debut is further reminder of how badly Mets botched last year's trade deadline

Nunez's ascension to the Orioles' roster this spring was a sight to behold, as he allowed just three total baserunners across five scoreless innings during the exhibition slate. He's also looked the part of an MLB reliever in Baltimore, flashing whiff and chase rates above 40% in his first few appearances.

Meanwhile, the other two prospects involved in the deal, Raimon Gómez and Chandler Marsh, are both pitching for the Orioles' High-A affiliate this year.

There was some defensibility in the deal at the time, seeing as both Nunez and Gómez were Rule 5 eligible this past winter. Of course, no one selected them, and now the Orioles are reaping the benefits of the Mets' hasty roster choices.

Unfortunately, that appears to be a running theme from the 2025 trade deadline. Ryan Helsley was terrible in New York (7.20 ERA) and cost the Mets top-20 prospect Jesus Baez; he's now the closer for the Orioles. Tyler Rogers was at least dependable during his half-season with the team, but he also left in free agency to become a set-up man in Toronto. Gregory Soto, meanwhile, performed the same disappearing act in free agency to join the Pirates.

Maybe the Mets didn't surrender any future All-Stars, but they gave up quantity and quality for a quartet of rentals who mostly only hurt the team during a second-half collapse. Hindsight is 20/20, but that's a pretty awful trade deadline performance no matter how you slice it.