Colin Holderman for Daniel Vogelbach set expectations for what's next

It’s the final Monday of July but not the last one before the trade deadline. This year’s MLB trade deadline will take place next Tuesday, August 2 which gives us one more Sunday to stare up at the ceiling dreading the next day’s work day while pondering what the New York Mets will do before the trade deadline.

On Friday night, shortly before their game with the San Diego Padres, the Mets helped kick off the MLB trade deadline by trading Colin Holderman for Daniel Vogelbach. Initial reactions were a mix of surprise, feeling underwhelming, and also getting a sense of satisfaction.

It was as fair as a trade deadline deal could go. The Pittsburgh Pirates picked up a quality relief pitcher possibly on the rise. The Mets got a bat they can use to upgrade over Dominic Smith.

The Mets trading Colin Holderman for Daniel Vogelbach set expectations for what’s to come

What’s next for the Mets? I’m not quite sure. You don’t know either. We can speculate until the cows come home. We probably will. It’s what we do as fans.

I’m still trying to figure out exactly what it is this front office regime will do at all turns. In year one under Steve Cohen, we saw them do much less than most believed they were capable of. This offseason’s spending spree only raised expectations further. It’s a little different at the trade deadline. There aren’t free agents and there are only a handful of teams willing to send you their best players.

By trading Holderman, the Mets showed they are willing to sacrifice good players even for someone at Vogelbach’s level. As much as he can help improve the bench and give them some DH depth, he isn’t a fantastic player. He’s a guy that in the pre-universal DH days would have been the Mets’ Matt Stairs.

Similarly, by adding Vogelbach, the Mets showed us even more. They are willing to pay more than just some low-level minor leaguer to add a bat like his to the lineup. Holderman was becoming a legitimate reliever for the team this year. At the very least, he was someone they could use in case of emergency on a routine basis. He was a viable candidate to stick around for as long as the roster would allow it.

We also saw the team lose interest in allowing Dominic Smith to rebound from his season-long slump. Vogelbach is the replacement for Smith. There is no chance they both share a roster spot because of how limited the roster then becomes with both of them around.

The Vogelbach addition should also hint that the Mets will add a bat with a little more positional versatility than just first base. Could an outfielder be the one they target next?