Ranking the 3 best Mets trades of the Steve Cohen era so far
Since Steve Cohen took over as the owner of the New York Mets, things have been different. Even if the 2021 season ended poorly, there was hope for the future. The future is now. We’re seeing the rewards.
One minor trouble the Mets have had under the Cohen regime is the ability to make quality trades. They seem to have missed on a couple of those deals. A few from this past trade deadline could get even worse.
At the moment, there are three deals that stand out quite favorably with one taking the ball and running away as the best Mets trade under Cohen’s reign. Let’s begin the countdown.
3) Best Mets trade since Steve Cohen took over: Daniel Vogelbach for Colin Holderman
Nothing angered some Mets fans more than to see the team send relief pitcher Colin Holderman to the Pittsburgh Pirates for the very-available Daniel Vogelbach. A flawed first baseman who has struggled mightily versus left-handed pitchers, the problem many had with the deal was how well Holderman had pitched this season for New York.
Since joining Pittsburgh, the 26-year-old rookie reliever hasn’t been so good. It’s a small sample size but compared to what Vogelbach has been able to do for the Mets down the stretch this season, it’s a pretty good deal for New York.
This is hardly one of those all-time great Mets trades—at least for now. But in comparison to some other deals made by the team where too much was given up or the returns weren’t what they expected, we have to name this the number three trade.
2) Best Mets trade since Steve Cohen took over: Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland
Why isn’t this the best Mets trade since Cohen arrived? You are wise enough to already know the answer. It’s because Francisco Lindor didn’t have a very good 2021 season and Carlos Carrasco was even worse. As superb as Lindor has been in 2022 and far more trusted Carrasco has been, there are other factors at play which push this to number two.
Technically, Lindor could almost be categorized as a great signing. It’s too early to really rank him. He would have been a free agent after the 2021 season if not for his massive extension. However, because he was already on the Mets roster, retaining him was far more possible. Categorize that whichever way you want.
Adding Lindor and Carrasco to the Mets was important. Still, we can’t give this the gold medal of Mets trades because of what the Cleveland Guardians got out of the deal.
Amed Rosario has been very good for them this year. Even more so, Andres Gimenez was an All-Star and looks like he could grow into one of the best infielders in the game. For a trade to be an absolute win, there needs to be little doubt about what you received or gave up. This deal has a little bit of both.
1) Best Mets trade since Steve Cohen took over: Chris Bassitt for two minor leaguers
The Chris Bassitt trade is aging very well. The situation is similar to when Lindor came over. He’s a free agent after this season but definitely a candidate to return.
The Mets spent most of the winter in need of a more reliable number three starter. Throughout the lockout, fans were confident in the pairing of Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer. What about behind them? Could Carrasco or Taijuan Walker bounce back? The front office wouldn’t put too much faith in that happening. They went out and acquired Bassitt from the Oakland Athletics.
The deal cost the Mets pitching prospect J.T. Ginn and a slightly older minor leaguer, Adam Oller. Oller saw some action with the A’s this year but wasn’t all that productive. In his 10 Double-A starts, Ginn had a 6.11 ERA.
Meanwhile, it’s the Mets who are getting exactly what they needed, if not more, out of Bassitt. It would take a very productive career from Ginn for this Mets trade to become a loss for New York and a win for Oakland.
The Mets may not have been able to find a better match for their rotation. Bassitt is the professional starter they needed. He’s as reliable as they come and we can only hope he sticks around for a little longer.