Mets Monday Morning GM: 3 trades that prove we can trust David Stearns

3) The trade for Phil Maton

Maybe not quite as impactful as the addition of Winker because he is “only a reliever,” we have to be incredibly pleased with what the Mets have gotten from Phil Maton. The veteran reliever came to the Mets in early July in exchange for cash. This was another case of the Mets outsmarting the competition. Maton wasn’t having a spectacular year with the Tampa Bay Rays. However, some pre-scouting into what types of adjustments he could make helped them turn his season around in the best way possible.

Maton went from a 4.58 ERA in 35.1 innings down to the 1.86 it has been through 19.1 innings as a member of the Mets. On a pitching staff guilty of walking too many batters, his 2.3 walks per 9 is the mint in the mouth of the breath of fresh air.

Making this more rewarding is the team option on Maton for next season. While not yet a lock to get picked up, Maton seems worth $7.75 million for next season. 

If the Mets are able to achieve the goal of making it to the postseason, they’ll feel confident with Maton in the bullpen. He has been an exceptional player in three separate trips to the playoffs. In 21.2 total innings, his 0.83 ERA is exactly what you want in late innings during October crunch time.