Grading all 7 Mets trade deadline deals they made

The MLB trade deadline is over and the dust is beginning to settle. The New York Mets got better, but how much better did they become?

They got an early start on additions early in the month and got busier in the final days.

Grading these trades includes the usual criteria. What the Mets gave up. What they got back. What they could have done instead. Etcetera. Did they pass or fail the first trade deadline with David Stearns in charge?

Mets trade for Phil Maton – A+

How can we not love this trade? The Mets used their ultimate superpower, cash, to obtain Phil Maton well before the trade deadline chaos began. He was pitching to a 4.58 ERA with the Tampa Bay Rays prior to the deal. Since coming to the Mets, things have gotten much better. He has been excellent for the Mets with a 1.50 ERA thus far.

The deal took place on July 9 and thank goodness it did. All Maton needed was a stronger stretch with the Rays to become a far more valuable asset. They got a ton for Jason Adam. They easily could’ve added one very good prospect for Maton if all they did was wait a little longer.

Not discussed much with this trade is the $7.75 million team option on Maton next season. It already feels necessary for the Mets to pick it up. He’ll be just 32 next year so this isn’t an aging veteran ready to crater. Maton might not have the most excellent track record. However, he has been better in recent seasons and the Mets made a fantastic call to swap him for cash.

Mets trade for Ryne Stanek – B+

Nothing has changed from this trade even with Ryne Stanek putting together a poor Mets debut. The original grade I gave it was a B+. I’m sticking with it.

Stanek for Rhylan Thomas seems like an excellent deal for the Mets. Thomas was never going to become a factor in the Mets outfield beyond being a bench player. Players with limited power don’t typically translate quite as well into big league starters. The exceptions are for guys like Jeff McNeil who can play multiple positions. Thomas is strictly an outfielder who would’ve had star capabilities in the 1980s. Today, not so much.

Stanek came to the Mets with a 4.38 ERA in 39 innings with the Seattle Mariners. Hoping he’s more like the version he was in 2021 or 2022 with the Houston Astros, the Mets paid a minimal price to get him. His contract isn’t crazy expensive either to the point where they’d feel any obligation to make him work. If Stanek really does end up as a bust, and clearly that’s not what I believe if I’m giving this trade a B+, then they can move on from him without much pain.

There is an upside to Stanek’s game. Eligible for anything from low leverage inning eater to a guy the Mets trust in the eighth inning, we’ll reserve complete judgment until we see how things end up.

Mets trade for Jesse Winker – B

Another trade already graded, the one for Jesse Winker stays the same at a B. It was excellent in terms of upgrading over DJ Stewart. The problem is there might’ve been better options out there. We’ll have to wait and see if any of the other outfielders traded end up having the kind of year Mark Canha did with the Milwaukee Brewers in the final months last season.

Winker started his first game with the Mets on Monday in right field where he hadn’t played for several years. It’s not a major issue especially with Tyrone Taylor around. Furthermore, when Starling Marte is back (say your prayers), Winker will probably shift over to left field a little more frequently and Brandon Nimmo can play center field.

As good as he was with the Washington Nationals, Winker had two very unproductive seasons in 2022 and 2023. There are lows in his game at the plate. Definitely a smart pickup at the price of Tyler Stuart, one negative feeling is seeing the Mets part with a pitching prospect who’ll have a chance to grow within the division.

Winker was a much better addition for the Mets than Michael Conforto would’ve been. However, with Bader and Taylor each having better splits this season against right-handed pitchers, wouldn’t it have been more important to add a guy who kills lefties?

Mets trade Josh Walker for a warm body – A+

The Mets were either going to lose Josh Walker for nothing or send him back to the minor leagues. The recently DFA’d Mets lefty reliever fell down the depth chart with Danny Young, Alex Young, and Matt Gage all available. His 6.45 ERA in 22.1 big league innings didn’t help his case to stick around either.

In exchange for Walker, the Mets got someone. Does it matter much who?

Nicolas Carreno, an 18-year-old from Venezuela with a 3.74 ERA in 21.2 innings in the Dominican Summer League, was the return. Incredibly wild with 10.2 walks per 9 in his limited action, he’s the kind of low-level prospect you forget about and check in on after a few years pass by.

This Mets trade wasn’t a significant one and only caught the attention of baseball fans everywhere because it was the first of the day.

It definitely does deserve an A+ simply because of how “nothing to lose” it was.

Mets trade for Paul Blackburn – C

The “big” starting pitcher addition, Paul Blackburn came to the Mets in exchange for pitching prospect Kade Morris. Morris was having a good year and ranked in the upper 20s among their best prospects. To acquire Blackburn, who has another year of control beyond 2024, was a decent move but nothing to get all that excited about.

Blackburn only recently returned from the IL and gave up 4 earned runs in 5 innings against the Los Angeles Angels. He is now 4-2 with a 4.41 ERA in 51 innings spanning 9 starts.

A necessary trade for the Mets because of the loss of Kodai Senga, it’s certainly not the winning type of move we all dreamed about. The Mets did well not to overpay for a rental starting pitcher. However, Blackburn just doesn’t move the needle enough to give much confidence in the Mets starting staff. He’ll fall to fourth or fifth in the starting rotation depth chart. A bit of a late bloomer with his first full season at the major league level coming in 2022 when he was an All-Star for the Oakland Athletics, this trade deserves a C because of all of the questions around it.

Is Blackburn better than Tylor Megill? This season he has been. The issue the Mets will face is that if they do enter the postseason they’ll do it with a starting staff without the same kind of punch as any of the teams they’ll face.

We’re thankful the Mets kept the farm intact. But if there was one roster spot where selling major pieces was worth it, it was for a starting pitcher.

Mets trade for Tyler Zuber – B-

A smaller scale Mets trade for some relief pitcher depth, the Mets forced us all to learn the name Tyler Zuber. It’s okay if you hadn’t heard it. He has spent most of the year in Triple-A for the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Zuber’s MLB stats are almost irrelevant as it includes only 3.1 innings. In Triple-A, he was fantastic with a 2.49 ERA in 21.2 innings. Fanning batters at a rate of 12 per 9 with only 2.5 walks per 9 to go along with it, he’s an upside pitcher with minor league options remaining for this season. To get him, the Mets gave up promising minor league pitcher Paul Gervase.

Zuber is, right now, the player the Mets will hope Gervase is for them next year; depth. Gervase and his massive 6’10 frame pitched to a 2.05 ERA last year and saw it creep up to only 3.25 this season in Double-A. A 12th round pick on the rise, his strikeout numbers are deadly with a lack of control being one of his issues. While striking out batters at a rate of 15 per 9 this year, he has walked them at a rate of 5.5 per 9.

Gervase wasn’t considered a top 30 Mets prospect, but those spots are usually reserved only for starting pitchers in the minors. We can give this trade a B- because it helps the Mets now. However, it does seem to have some of the lowest upside for what they can get out of Zuber with plenty of upside for what it can reward the Rays with.