2 Mets trade deadline successes, 1 failure

NY Mets trade deadline success: Steve Cohen was willing to eat an absurd amount of money to overhaul the farm system

Let's make something abundantly clear. The Mets do not land prospects close to the caliber of prospects they got from Texas and Houston if Steve Cohen didn't eat the money he did.

In the Scherzer trade, the Mets sent Scherzer and $35 million in cash to get Luisangel Acuna from the Rangers. Acuna is immediately ranked as the second-best prospect in the Mets system and ranks 44th on MLB.com's Top 100 list. That's a legit prospect with the potential to be a force in the majors. They got him in exchange for an underwhelming Max Scherzer.

It's possible Texas takes Scherzer without the cash, but there's no chance the Mets get anything remotely close to Acuna. Cohen's money bought the Mets a top prospect they can build around.

The Mets traded Justin Verlander back to Houston along with a whopping $54 million assuming Verlander's 2025 option vests. In exchange, the Mets got prospects Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford. Gilbert and Clifford were ranked first and fourth in Houston's system per MLB Pipeline, but when the list was going to be updated next week they'd be first and second.

Gilbert is a top-100 prospect already, and Clifford is a fast-rising prospect who can find himself on a top-100 list sooner than later. If Houston had to pay Verlander the money he's owed the next two years it's possible they take him, but again, the Mets don't get one of these guys back let alone both.

Cohen did his best to try and practically buy the Mets a championship by shelling out massive contracts to Verlander and Scherzer. When that failed, he allowed the Mets to pivot and spent even more money to land prospects that are not only among the best in this revamped Mets system but among the best in the majors.

The Mets might not have the advantage of the best GM or roster of players to build around, but the 29 other owners wouldn't do what Cohen allowed the Mets to do.