Excruciating NY Mets trade deadline failures actually saved us from a worse pain

Finding the silver lining in the worst situation is a good trait to have as a human being. It might be hard to find too many positives to come out from the New York Mets trade deadline. The midseason event that often determines if a team runs out of gas or not contributed greatly to the Mets missing the playoffs in 2025.

Notably, it was the failure of two players who struck the largest chord. Ryan Helsley came to the Mets as a high-profile closer and nothing but positive marks on the trade deadline grades chart. Cedric Mullins was a fallback answer in center field. While not as welcomed with open arms, it felt like a necessary move at an affordable price.

Both underachieved more than we could have imagined. Here’s the good news. We got it out of the way. Had they not come to the Mets and been so below-average, each would have been a quality and convenient option this offseason.

The Mets pulled off the Ryan Helsley and Cedric Mullins Band-Aids early enough where we don’t have to think of them this offseason

Whatever it was that specifically made Helsley so bad (tipping pitches?) and Mullins such a non-factor in the lineup will have to be answered for on whatever team they play for next. It can’t possibly be the Mets despite there being some sense of logic as to why it could occur.

Remove Helsley from the 2025 Mets equation and maybe he becomes viewed as a suitable replacement for Edwin Diaz. He’d cost less with the kind of upside a contender wants out of a closer. This is less true with the way he finished the season. On a different team, maybe he doesn’t crumble. Fans, in a poll by The Athletic, surprisingly voted that they would consider bringing him back.

Mullins goes into free agency on a low as well. He wasn’t playing incredibly well for the Baltimore Orioles prior to the trade. Sinking as quickly as he did for the Mets in the final weeks should have teams hesitant for any sort of longer commitment. If he stayed put in Baltimore or went to another team, he’d probably be someone, even in a platoon role, for the Mets to kick the tires on.

There’s something about trying the same thing all over again that didn’t work the first time which comes as a big turn-off. It’s the definition of insanity. There’s no guarantee each of these players are cooked entirely. Helsley can just as easily sign with a team and become one of the best closers in the game again. Mullins is less likely to recapture his prime years, but should at least raise his game to the level it was while with the O’s.

They’ll be two easy passes for the Mets in free agency. Moreover, neither player will probably have much interest in remaining on a team where they are incredibly unpopular and built nothing but bad memories. It’s not personal. Helsley and Mullins seem like good guys. They just happened to come along at a bad time in our lives.