Mets Trade Deadline Deal Battle: Marcus Stroman vs. Javier Baez

Was the Mets trade for Marcus Stroman worth it?

Stroman did help turn the Mets around in 2019. Although they missed the playoffs by a couple of feet, he helped excite the fans and make the club unexpected contenders late. August of 2019 had a playoff atmosphere at Citi Field. Unfortunately, the team ran out of road and couldn’t win enough in the final weeks to make it to the postseason.

Stroman’s time with the Mets included 44 starts, a 14-15 record, and 3.21 ERA. I feel like these numbers don’t do him justice for how reliable he was this past year. Stroman led the league with 33 starts and while we would have liked him to go more than 179 innings, having him available every fifth day was more important than getting deeper into individual starts.

Acquiring Stroman was a success for sure. But we need to look at what the Mets gave up.

In exchange for Stroman, pitching prospects Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson went to Toronto. Kay has not been an effective major league pitcher. He had a 5.50 ERA in his first 68.2 innings of work as a starter and reliever. Approaching his 27th birthday in March, there shouldn’t be too much concern that the Mets gave up a gem.

Woods Richardson is a much different story. A freshly turned 21 from this past September, he is already making many Top 100 prospect lists. This, despite having a 5.91 ERA in Double-A last year, could sway the trade the Blue Jays’ way.

Woods Richardson is, however, no longer a member of the Blue Jays. He was dealt to the Minnesota Twins in the Jose Berrios trade. So, for Toronto to actually win this trade, they need to get a lot from Berrios. Already signed to an extension for the next several seasons, there’s a chance they very well could.