NY Mets trade from last May continues to pay off dividends almost a year later

When certain New York Mets transactions occur, you remember exactly where you were. Justin Verlander signed with the Mets while I was listening to my son’s heart beat for the first time over an ultrasound. Jed Lowrie joined the ball club while I was sitting in traffic on the way home from a commute that could take 40 minutes or an hour and 20 depending on how many drivers planned to gawk at an accident that happened three hours earlier. I’m still not sure what’s worse: the Lowrie signing or a daily long commute with unpredictability.

The May 31, 2024, trade for Luis Torrens was a bit different. Exactly where were each of us? There’s a chance you don’t recall.

A part of the bloodbath post-Jorge Lopez, the Mets picked him up from the New York Yankees for cash. Torrens’ arrival signaled the end for Omar Narvaez and brought about a huge change at the plate and behind it. He immediately hit and was gunning out runners left, right, and up the middle. It paid off big and continues to do the same this year.

The Mets trade for Luis Torrens continues to reward the team for their clever scouting

Torrens has appeared in all 6 Mets games thus far, exiting early a few times and entering their most recent late. He’s batting .313/.353/.625 with a home run and a pair of doubles. You’d never know by these numbers how many times he has been pinch hit for. We may get to a point where Torrens is someone Carlos Mendoza trusts over others off the bench. It’ll be matchup based for sure, but he has been so excellent thus far that to remove him from the game on either side of the ball makes less sense.

No one should expect Torrens to continue to hit like this. He cooled off badly last season, barely able to produce in the final two months of the season. What he remained consistent at was fielding. He led the league in Rtot, his game-winning defensive play in London an exemplary moment to showcase range from behind the plate. To do this with only 299 innings as a catcher is pretty awesome.

Equally so, Torrens threw out runners at a rate of 46.4%. He’s well on his way to matching the total if not beating it. Runners are only 1 for 4 against him. The only runner who did successfully swipe a bag came with Edwin Diaz on the mound who used up his disengagements, putting Torrens at such a large disadvantage. He still managed to have one of the most brilliant defensive innings you could imagine from a catcher.

Backup catchers don’t sell jerseys, park butts in seats, or have giveaways created in their honor. Who cares about that kind of glory anyway? Torrens is making this an all-time best Mets trade with the Yankees even if both teams seemed to benefit. The Mets got a really good backup catcher while Hal Steinbrenner got to pocket some cash.