Checking in on what the Mets gave up in the Mychal Givens trade

One of the underwhelming New York Mets trades made this summer was the addition of reliever Mychal Givens. In 20.2 innings of work for the team, Givens was 1-1 with a 4.79 ERA. It was nothing close to what the bullpen needed.

The Mets will have an offseason decision to make about Givens. Do they give him another shot or do the right thing and simply cut bait by refusing to pick up his option? Doing so would take an L on the trade. That’s kind of what happens for most teams who make a gamble at the trade deadline.

Givens may have already thrown his last pitch for the Mets. What about the player they sent to the Chicago Cubs for him? We don’t hear much about that guy, Saul Gonzalez.

Mets trade for Mychal Givens probably won’t come back to haunt them

Gonzalez is a 22-year-old pitcher who was 2-1 with a 2.81 ERA at the time of the trade. When he moved to the Cubs organization, he stayed in Single-A where he ended up accumulating another 17.1 innings before the year was through.

The results? Gonzalez was 1-1 with a 3.63 ERA. Far more notable, he walked an average of 6.2 batters per 9 in the small sample Chicago got to see him pitch.

Walks had not been a big problem for Gonzalez prior to this. There aren’t quite enough innings for the Cubs to completely lose faith in him. However, it’s not the start they were hoping to get out of him.

The Cubs already managed to snag Pete Crow-Armstrong away from the Mets. Gonzalez, who is much less a prospect and more of a minor leaguer Chicago was hoping could have some upside, doesn’t look to be on the same path.

The Mets may not have chosen correctly with Givens. At the same time, it doesn’t appear they gave up all that much to get him.

We can call this one a draw for now. It doesn’t appear the Cubs will come away with anything all that great. Maybe, if by chance, Givens does return we see the results of this trade go in a different direction.