MLB trade deadline kicks off with Daniel Vogelbach for Colin Holderman

The New York Mets made what some might consider a questionable move acquiring first baseman Daniel Vogelbach from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for reliever Colin Holderman.

With Vogelbach, the Mets fill arguably their biggest hole. They were getting almost no production out of their DH spot and desperately needed to bring in a bat for that spot. Robinson Cano, Dom Smith, and J.D. Davis were all given chances and all failed miserably to hold onto the DH spot.

Vogelbach's overall slash line doesn't look great, as he's slashed .228/.338/.430 with 12 home runs and 34 RBI. However, he's absolutely mashed against righties, posting a .260/.365/.532 slash line with all 12 of his home runs and 27 of his 34 RBI. His 149 WRC+ against right-handers ranks 15th in all of baseball and ahead of Pete Alonso for the top spot on the Mets roster.

While the price was steep, the Mets made the right move acquiring Vogelbach for Holderman.

The Mets desperately needed a big bat to put into the middle of their order and they got it. He's not a big name, but he will provide a huge boost against righties. The Mets will either use J.D. Davis in that spot against lefties or (hopefully) acquire another bat.

Vogelbach provides a ton of power, he hit 30 home runs back in 2019 for the Mariners. He also is a very patient hitter, ranking in the 95th percentile in chase rate and the 97th percentile in walk rate according to baseball savant. Vogelbach also ranks in the 75th percentile in whiff rate.

The Mets gave up promising right-hander Colin Holderman in the deal. While it's unfortunate to see Holderman go, I believe it's not as devastating of a loss as others make it out to be.

The 26-year-old came out of nowhere and burst onto the scene this season, showing. a lot of promise as a rookie. He's appeared in 15 games and has posted a 2.04 ERA in 17.2 innings pitched. With a lot of the Mets bullpen hitting free agency this offseason, it would've been nice to keep him, but it's not a huge deal.

The Mets have shown an ability to get arms to perform well at the big league level. Guys like Yoan Lopez and Adonis Medina have shown a lot of promise in their limited action. I trust Jeremy Hefner to help develop the pitchers the Mets have.

Furthermore, the Mets aren't done. Trades will be made to fortify the bullpen. With those trades coming and Trevor May on his way back, I don't even think Holderman would've been on the roster come August 3rd.

It's a tremendous story for Holderman to get to where he's gotten, but for the Mets to get a big bat with another year of control at just $1.5 million dollars, that's really not bad. They're a team trying to win now trading a reliever who most likely wouldn't be on a postseason roster for a guy who will take huge at-bats down the stretch.