Baseball America makes NY Mets prospect from Freddy Peralta trade sound like a perfect fit

Baseball America took a look at the best tools in the farm for the New York Mets. Most of the names mentioned were players acquired this past summer. Jefferson Rojas is the best hitter. Billy Amick has the most power. The best infield defense belongs to Sammy Stafura.

The best outfield defense belongs to another farmhand acquired over the summer. Aidan Smith, from the Freddy Peralta trade to the Tampa Bay Rays, got the nod here.

Smith hasn’t gotten much attention compared to others who are closer to MLB-ready. Emilien Pitre and Gary Gill Hill are the other prospects the Mets got from the Tampa Bay Rays alongside Smith. Pitre is already a consideration for the roster in 2027 while Gill Hill is Rule 5 Draft eligible but a little too far away from being MLB-ready. Smith, meanwhile, is even further away but the declaration of being the best defensive outfielder should have us already wondering just how well he can fit into the team’s plans in the near future.

Aidan Smith already looks like someone the Mets will make good use of

Smith has hit a respectable .252/.350/.424 in the minors with a bit of a power breakout this past year. In Brooklyn alone he hit 5 home runs in only 99 plate appearances while batting .321. He’s a right-handed hitter who has been playing plenty of center field. It aligns well for him to diversify the Mets outfield. At minimum, a platoon with A.J. Ewing in center field is a future possibility.

Smith runs well too, stealing 27 bases in 30 tries. Strikeouts have been one of his major downfalls. He fanned 111 times in only 80 total games in 2026. The year prior, in 102 games, Smith went down on strikes 143 times.

Reverse splits this past year, a .766 OPS against righties and only .621 versus lefties, doesn’t exactly align for Smith to get penciled in as any sort of future platoon partner. We can consider him more in the Nick Morabito camp with different specialties. Smith is definitely a better power hitter with less speed and not someone who has hit for average. MLB Pipeline ranks them 12th (Morabito) and 15th (Smith) with possible massive changes on the way as Morabito either proves himself or doesn’t and Smith rises or falls in a major way.

Defensively gifted players will always be a part of a David Stearns-ran Mets organization. They haven’t always gotten it right and in the case of a player like Juan Soto, there are exceptions.

Smith won’t make the majors just because of his defense, though. So far, it appears to have been a big part of his game. It’s not apples to apples but his Range Factor/9 has measured at 2.57 in center field. Ewing was at 2.44 and the league at a RF/9 of 2.65. He has only been charged with 4 errors in 506 chances. MLB Pipeline rates his arm and field at 60 which is almost always the highest score any prospect ever receives. It is meant to represent Plus/Above-Average.

At minimum, Smith is trending toward becoming a beloved fourth outfielder who’ll steal runs. His hitting progress will determine if he’s anything more. Regardless, he fits what this organization doesn’t seem to ever go without.

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