A smart Mets roster addition in July that didn't even require a trade

Let’s rave for a moment about what the New York Mets did before the MLB trade deadline. On July 17, they smartly picked up a guy from the San Francisco Giants off the waiver wire. Veteran lefty Alex Young who had spent all but 2 innings this year in the minor leagues was traded to San Francisco not long before they DFA’d him. Seizing an opportunity that for some reason several other teams passed up on in waivers, David Stearns went out and added another lefty to the stockpile he was creating.

The Mets were already getting a lot of decent outings from Danny Young. The cash for player trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers for Matt Gage hadn’t resulted in any big league appearances. Still in search of some Jake Diekman salvation, the Mets swooped up Alex Young and things have been fantastic thus far.

The non-trade deadline related addition of Alex Young has gotten the Mets results already

Young has pitched 4.2 shutout innings for the Mets while allowing only a single hit and a walk. The Mets used him in both games against the New York Yankees then twice more in losses against the Atlanta Braves. Only the first Yankees appearance could be considered of great importance. They’re still trying to figure out how much they can trust him.

The small big league sample size isn’t enough to anoint him a permanent roster spot. But let’s consider his past. He pitched to a 3.86 ERA in 2023 with the Cincinnati Reds where he logged his other 2 innings this year. A season prior, with all but one-third of his innings with the Giants (he recorded one out for the Cleveland Guardians), he pitched to a 2.36 ERA in 26.2 total innings.

Stearns showed with the Tyler Zuber trade he’s willing to take minor league numbers with more than a grain of salt. Young had pitched excellently for the Reds’ Triple-A team, posting a 1.19 ERA in 22.2 innings. He got beat up for the Giants squad thus the availability.

Not even close to being in the same class as Tanner Scott, the addition of this Young carries control for two more years and minor league options for the rest of this year. He might not be in the future plans for the team, but he’ll get a chance to at least help them now and compete for a spot next season.

The Mets have hit and missed on these small transactions. This one looks brilliant already with results to back it up.