The forgotten Mets trade deadline deal we have yet to see in the majors

Jesse Winker had his big New York Mets moment on Wednesday. Paul Blackburn has been a steady presence in the rotation. Since coming to Queens, Phil Maton has been solid.

The moves the Mets made at the trade deadline have impacted the ball club, mostly for the better. One move has yet to touch the results in the majors. A quieter swap with the Tampa Bay Rays, David Stearns added Tyler Zuber in exchange for Paul Gervase. So far, Zuber has remained in the minors. With Dedniel Nunez working his way back and hopefully Sean Reid-Foley not far behind, this easy to forget Mets transaction might never matter after all.

What has Tyler Zuber been up to in the minors for the Mets?

Zuber has been with Triple-A Syracuse and now 6 innings deep into his tenure has given them a 3.00 ERA performance. It’s only one more out recorded than he had with the Long Island Ducks before the Tampa Bay Rays picked him up. He has been far from immaculate. A strikeout and a walk each per inning, the wildness bug has gotten to him, too. With Durham where he spent most of the year, Zuber averaged 2.5 walks per 9. In the small sample that included 3 of those walks in his most recent appearance on Thursday, the trend isn’t a positive one after several short yet successful appearances in relief following a rough debut back on August 1.

The Mets were clever with several of their deadline deals. Huascar Brazoban came with years of control and minor league options beyond 2024. There’s a good chance after his appearance on Thursday he joins Zuber in Syracuse. Blackburn is also arbitration eligible next season which makes him more than a mere rental.

This won’t be the case with Zuber whose final minor league option year has already been utilized this year by the Rays. While the Mets could keep him around beyond 2024, they’d be required to keep him on the 26-man roster unless they’d be willing to place him on waivers.

The way Zuber has been used in the minors since coming to the Mets is a bit peculiar. Four of his eight appearances lasted less than a full inning and not because he was in much trouble either. Was the plan to keep him fresh enough for some sort of immediate promotion to the big leagues? If so, asking him to throw 29 pitches in his latest outing after so many shorter appearances is a bit curious. There doesn’t seem to be any immediate need for Zuber at the major league level. September could be different with the additional roster spot. The Mets don’t exactly have too many better choices on the 40-man roster waiting for their promotion.