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D-backs To Sign Anthony Gose

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The Diamondbacks have agreed to a deal with lefty reliever Anthony Gose, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Gose has spent the season thus far with the Mets organization, but the MiLB transaction log reflects that he was quietly released yesterday. Whether that was an opt-out clause, an upward mobility clause or a straight release remains to be seen, but Gose is headed to a new organization. If it’s a big league deal, the Diamondbacks will need to make a corresponding move, as their 40-man roster is currently at capacity. The team has not yet formally announced the signing.

Gose, 34, began his career as an outfielder back in 2008, when the Phillies selected him in the second round of the draft. He quickly became one of the game’s top prospects and wound up seeing action in parts of five major league seasons as an outfielder — all between the Blue Jays and Tigers. Gose’s career looked to have stalled out, but the former two-way star in high school reinvented himself as a relief pitcher back in 2017-19 and has now pitched in parts of three MLB seasons — all with Cleveland.

Gose made his major league debut as a full-time pitcher in 2021 and has now pitched 32 MLB frames with a 4.78 ERA, a 29.7% strikeout rate and a 12.3% walk rate. Injuries, most notably Tommy John surgery, have limited his time on the mound and impacted him when healthy. He’s also missed time with a triceps strain, a calf strain and shoulder soreness since moving to the mound.

Between those injuries and the fact that he’s now approaching his 35th birthday, perhaps it shouldn’t be all that surprising that Gose’s heater has lost some life. When he first moved to the mound, he was brandishing a blazing four-seamer that averaged better than 99 mph and reached triple digits at times. He sat 95.7 mph in both Triple-A and the big leagues last year, and he’s dipped further to an average of 94.6 mph in 2025.

Gose has pitched 23 innings with the Mets’ affiliate in Syracuse and logged a 4.30 ERA, 24.5% strikeout rate, 13.7% walk rate and 30.6% ground-ball rate. He started the season pitching quite well, yielding a 3.31 ERA through his first 16 1/3 innings, but he’s been hit hard over the past few weeks; dating back to May 17, Gose pitched in six games and was rocked for seven runs (five earned) on nine hits and three walks with seven strikeouts.

The D-backs are starved for arms, having recently lost Justin Martinez to Tommy John surgery, Christian Montes De Oca to back surgery and Kendall Graveman to a hip injury. Lefty A.J. Puk has been out since early April due to elbow troubles. Over in the rotation, Corbin Burnes recently suffered a UCL tear that necessitated Tommy John surgery as well. The D-backs have added righties Anthony DeSclafani and Tayler Scott in recent weeks, and Gose will now add another left-handed option to the depth chart.

Ron Taylor Passes Away

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Former MLB reliever and physician Ron Taylor has passed away, according to an announcement from the Mets. He was 87.

A Toronto native, Taylor began his career in the Cleveland organization in 1956. He reached the big leagues six years later and had a memorable debut at Fenway Park. Tabbed as the starting pitcher — one of just 17 starts he’d make in his career — Taylor began with 11 scoreless innings. Boston’s Bill Monbouquette matched him zero for zero, though, working through 12 scoreless frames. Taylor’s remarkable first outing came to a disappointing end, as he surrendered a walk-off grand slam to Carroll Hardy in the twelfth.

That was one of eight appearances that Taylor would make in his rookie season. After the year, Cleveland swapped him to the Cardinals for first baseman Fred Whitfield. Taylor had a strong first year in St. Louis, turning in a 2.84 ERA across 133 1/3 innings in a long relief role. He’d add another 4 2/3 scoreless frames against the Yankees in the World Series. Almost all of those came in Game 4, when he fired four scoreless without allowing a hit to save a 4-3 victory. That evened the series at two games apiece, and the Cards would go on to win in seven behind Bob Gibson.

Taylor struggled over the next couple seasons, leading St. Louis to deal him to the Astros midway through the ’65 campaign. He didn’t pitch particularly well during his year and a half in Houston. The Astros sold his contract to the Mets going into 1967. Taylor turned things around in Queens, working to a sub-3.00 ERA in each of his first three seasons.

He tossed 76 innings of 2.72 ERA ball with 13 saves for the ’69 Miracle Mets team that won 100 games and knocked off the Braves and Orioles en route to the first championship in franchise history. Taylor made four appearances in the postseason, striking out seven across 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He recorded one save apiece in the NLCS and World Series, getting Brooks Robinson to ground out with two runners on in a 2-1 ballgame to lock down Game 2 of the Fall Classic.

Taylor pitched a few more seasons in New York and finished his playing days with a very brief stint for the Padres in 1972. He remained in the game after the end of his playing career, but he didn’t follow the coaching or scouting paths of most former players. Taylor went to medical school immediately after retiring and was later hired as the team physician for the Blue Jays, a role he’d hold for a few decades. He added two more World Series rings in that capacity when Toronto went back-to-back in the early 1990s.

During a playing career that spanned parts of 11 seasons, Taylor posted a 3.93 ERA in exactly 800 regular season innings. He recorded 464 strikeouts and collected 74 saves. His postseason résumé was brief but impactful, as he didn’t allow a run in 10 1/3 frames while getting the save in three of his six playoff appearances. He played a key role in winning a pair of championships and was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. MLBTR sends our condolences to Taylor’s family, friends, loved ones and former teammates and colleagues throughout the game.

Wilson Ramos Retires

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Longtime catcher Wilson Ramos is retiring after 12 seasons in the majors and 18 overall seasons of pro ball.  The 37-year-old Ramos announced back in February that he was stepping away from the game, and it became official today when “the Buffalo” signed a one-day ceremonial contract to retire as a member of the Nationals.

Beginning his career as an international signing for the Twins back in 2004, Ramos broke into the majors with Minnesota in 2010 but was dealt to the Nationals at the trade deadline that same season.  That kicked off a long run for Ramos in Washington that lasted through the 2016 campaign, with Ramos first splitting time behind the plate with Kurt Suzuki, then emerging as the clear starting catcher by the end of his tenure with the Nats.

Ramos’ first full MLB season in 2011 earned him a fourth-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting, and his final year in D.C. saw him earn an All-Star nod and a Silver Slugger Award when he hit .307/.354/.496 with 22 home runs over 523 plate appearances.  Unfortunately for Ramos, he also suffered a torn ACL right near the end of the 2016 season, which kept him out of the playoffs (the NL East-winning Nationals lost the NLDS to the Dodgers) and severely limited his earning potential as he entered free agency.

Inking a two-year, $12.5MM deal with the Rays, Ramos returned to play in 64 games in 2017, and then looked like his old self with another All-Star season in 2018.  He switched teams again this year when the Rays dealt the catcher to the Phillies at the trade deadline, and Ramos continued his tour of the NL East when he signed a two-year, $19MM contract with the Mets the following offseason.  He continued to hit well in the first year of that deal, but his play diminished after the 2019 season, and Ramos didn’t play again in the big leagues following his 2021 season with Detroit and Cleveland.

That 2021 season ended in painful fashion for Ramos, as he tore his left ACL that August.  Between this injury and the two right ACL tears that sidelined him earlier in his career, it is fair to wonder how Ramos might have fared if he had enjoyed better health.  Nonetheless, it is somewhat remarkable that Ramos still had such a long career as a catcher despite multiple major knee injuries.  Ramos attempted a comeback following his third ACL tear, playing with the Rangers’ Triple-A club in 2022, playing in the Mexican League and with the independent Long Island Ducks in 2023, and he suited up for some Venezuelan Winter League action just this past offseason.

Ramos retires with a .271/.318/.432 slash line and 136 home runs over 3786 plate appearances and 990 games in the big leagues.  We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Ramos on a tremendous career and we wish him all the best in retirement.

Mets Notes: Siri, Winker, Senga, Montas, Raley

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Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns and manager Carlos Mendoza each provided several injury updates when speaking with reporters (including Newsday’s Laura Albanese, The Athletic’s Tim Britton, and the New York Post’s Mike Puma) on Friday.  The most unwelcome bit of news concerned Jose Siri, whose recovery from a left tibia fracture will be delayed since tests showed the tibia hadn’t healed as well as expected over two months since the initial injury.

Siri last played on April 12, when he fouled a ball off his left leg during his first plate appearance in the Mets’ 3-1 loss to the Athletics.  The initial recovery timeline was set at 8-10 weeks, though in the wake of this latest setback, Siri will now be shut down from baseball activities for a few more weeks until he undergoes a fresh round of imaging tests.

Even if those tests reveal better results, Siri will need to ramp his rehab back up and play in multiple minor league games, so it may be optimistic to expect Siri back on New York’s big league roster before July is over.  It’s a frustrating setback for Siri, who seemed to be making progress by taking part in live batting practice sessions and doing some running drills in recent weeks.  Instead, it now looks like he’ll miss over half of the season on the injured list, leaving the Mets without a key member of their outfield.

Acquired from the Rays in a trade last November, Siri was meant to add some power and (most pressingly) defensive stability to the Amazins’ center field mix.  His absence has made Tyrone Taylor more or less the everyday center fielder, and while Taylor has held his own with the glove, he is hitting only .234/.300/.332 over 205 plate appearances.  The left-handed hitting Jeff McNeil has been spelling Taylor in center field when McNeil isn’t at second base, and Jose Azocar, Brandon Nimmo, and Luisangel Acuna have made a few cameos in center when the situation has warranted.

It was already expected that the Mets would be looking for some outfield help at the trade deadline, and the possibility that Siri might not even be back by July 31 only underlines the outfield as a target area.  Perhaps if the Mets are okay with the Taylor/McNeil platoon in center field, the club might just look to add a bat in general to help out in the infield or in the DH position.  Designated hitter Jesse Winker is recovering from a Grade 2 oblique strain that has kept him out since early May, and Stearns said that Winker will still need multiple weeks before a minor league rehab assignment is considered.

Kodai Senga’s hamstring strain created a big hole in New York’s rotation this week, though Mendoza said tests revealed that Senga had only a Grade 1 strain, or the least severe variety.  The current plan is for Senga to be shut down for two weeks and then the club will explore plans for a throwing progression and a minor league rehab assignment.  Given the timing, it seems possible Senga might be able to pitch again before the All-Star break, but in all likelihood the Mets will play it safe with their ace and hold him out through the break to give him a few more days of rest.

The Mets’ rotation has been plagued by injuries ever since Spring Training, yet the staff has greatly exceeded expectations by still leading all of baseball with a 2.78 rotation ERA.  Senga’s 1.47 ERA over 73 2/3 innings has been a big part of that success, as the right-hander has returned in top form after missing virtually all of the 2024 season.

Paul Blackburn will move from a long relief/swingman role into the rotation to fill in for Senga, while Britton suggests that Frankie Montas might move into the bullpen in Blackburn’s role (rather than into a starting job) when Montas is activated from the 60-day injured list.  After missing the entire season due to a lat strain, Montas has made five minor league rehab starts, and June 22 will mark the end of the allotted 30 days for Montas’ rehab assignment.

While in-game results are usually less important than fitness and mechanics during these rehab outings, Montas’ 13.17 ERA over 13 2/3 innings with high-A Brooklyn and Triple-A Syracuse is hard to ignore, as the veteran righty is clearly still not on track.  Stearns said that Montas will make one more start in the minors, and that Montas “is still searching a little bit” after such a long layoff.

“Physically, we are trending in the right direction and now it’s just getting him back into the rhythm,” Stearns said.  “This is very similar to a Spring Training ramp up where you try not to focus on results too much early and then as you get a little bit later in the ramp up you want to start seeing outs.  That is where Frankie is right now.”

In even longer-term injury news, Brooks Raley could be starting a rehab assignment within the next week.  Raley underwent a Tommy John surgery in May 2024, and with the knowledge that he’d miss most of the 2025 season, the Mets inked the veteran reliever to a one-year free agent deal that guarantees Raley $1.85MM ($1.5MM in 2025 salary, and a $300K buyout on a $4.75MM club option for 2026).

Several other performance bonuses are available both this season and next depending on how many appearances Raley can make, though the first order of business is simply getting the southpaw back in action.  Britton notes that Raley will likely need the full 30-day rehab window in order to get back into game shape, so if all goes well, Raley could be an option for the Mets’ bullpen before the end of July.

Mets Place Kodai Senga On IL With Hamstring Strain

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June 13th: The Mets have now made it official. Senga has been placed on the 15-day IL with a right hamstring strain, with Kranick recalled to take his roster spot.

June 12th: Mets right-hander Kodai Senga has a strained hamstring and will go on the 15-day injured list. Manager Carlos Mendoza informed reporters, including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, after today’s game. Further details about the severity of the injury and his absence won’t be known until he undergoes an MRI tomorrow. Will Sammon of The Athletic reports that reliever Max Kranick will be recalled to take Senga’s roster spot.

Senga’s injury was obvious during today’s game, with video relayed by SNY. He started the contest and was pitching a gem, with no runs allowed as he pitched into the sixth inning. During that sixth frame, CJ Abrams hit a grounder between second and first, which was corralled by first baseman Pete Alonso. Senga ran to cover first and leaped to receive the throw from Alonso. While he made the catch and recorded the out, he then collapsed on the ground in obvious pain, clutching at his right leg. Senga told Alonso he felt a pull in his leg before leaping for the ball, per DiComo.

Regardless of whether the leap had anything to do with it, the larger point is that it’s a blow for the Mets. Senga has been a dominant pitcher throughout his entire big league career, with a 2.59 earned run average in 239 2/3 innings. However, injuries have played a role in the volume of his contributions. Last year, a shoulder strain and a calf strain limited him to just one regular season start. He did get healthy enough to pitch in the postseason, adding another five innings there.

He’s been healthy to this point in 2025, having made 13 starts with a 1.47 ERA. Now, however, he’s facing another injury absence. As mentioned, the full details of the strain and the timeline won’t be known until tomorrow.

The injury is the latest example of how anything resembling a pitching surplus is a temporary condition in the modern game. Just a few minutes before Senga collapsed on the field, Joel Sherman of The New York Post reported that the Mets were getting calls on righty Paul Blackburn due to their seeming abundance of starting pitching options.

If the Mets had any interest in trading from their rotation, that desire has presumably gone done in the wake of this injury. Without Senga, the rotation now consists of Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning. Blackburn has been in the mix since coming off the IL, having made one start and one long relief appearance. Presumably, Blackburn can slide into a more proper rotation role while Senga is on the shelf.

That won’t fully settle things, as both Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea are both currently on rehab assignments and could be back in the next week or two. That will give the Mets seven starters for five rotation spots. If Senga’s injury is mild and he makes a quick return, they have eight guys. Just as Senga’s injury popped up out of nowhere, other guys could drop off in the coming weeks, but it’s also possible some the club has to make some tough decisions.

Of those eight guys, Senga, Peterson and Megill are the only ones who can be optioned to the minors. Senga is too good to send down to the farm. That’s likely true of Peterson as well, who has a 2.49 ERA this year. Megill is perhaps a bit more likely to be squeezed out but even his 3.76 ERA is quite good.

Time will tell how all the pieces fit. For now, the Mets will have to proceed without their ace. They have a number of quality options to soften the blow but it’s still a notable development for the coming weeks.

Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images

Mets Receiving Trade Interest In Paul Blackburn

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With several teams around the league straining to find rotation help, the Mets have been receiving early interest in righty Paul Blackburn, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. There’s no indication a trade is close, but there’s good reason to think the Mets might be amenable to an earlier-than-usual trade involving the veteran righty.

The Mets are currently six-deep in starters, with Blackburn the ostensible odd man out. Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill have all pitched well this season. All five have started at least a dozen games, and none has an ERA higher than Megill’s 3.76. Blacknburn’s most recent outing came in long relief, although Sherman notes that he could get a spot start or two with an upcoming run of 13 games in 13 days.

That said, both Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea are out on minor league rehab stints. The former has made four starts and built up to 76 pitches, while the latter tossed 46 pitches over 2 2/3 innings in his second rehab start two days ago. As such, Montas is the closer of the pair to returning and could even be ready to go next week. He’s slated to make his fifth rehab appearance tomorrow, but there’s still enough time left on his rehab clock that he could make two more starts if the team sees fit. Manaea’s rehab window extends into early July, as he only began his assignment on June 6.

One way or another, within the next two to three weeks, the Mets could find themselves with as many as seven or eight healthy rotation options. All are largely established as big league starting pitchers as well, so it’s not as though they have a young, optional arm to send back to Syracuse for a bit.

Peterson can technically still be optioned, but only for another five days. He’s on the cusp of reaching five years of MLB service time, at which point he’d have to consent to being sent down. It’s a moot point, though, given how well he’s pitching. Megill also has an option, but he’s bounced back from a run of shaky starts in early-to-mid May by rattling off 21 1/3 innings with a 3.80 ERA and 28-to-9 K/BB ratio. His season-long numbers are strong, and a depth-focused Mets front office, helmed by president David Stearns, surely doesn’t want to burn Megill’s final option year at a time when he’s pitching well.

One potential wrinkle that could impact the Mets’ rotation depth unfolded as I was writing that last paragraph: Senga exited today’s game against the Nationals with an injury. The right-hander covered first base on a grounder to the right side of the infield, made a leaping catch to corral the throw, and grabbed at his leg after coming down on the bag (video link via SNY). Senga eventually walked off the field under his own power, but he was down on the field for a couple minutes with the Mets’ training staff.

A lot will hinge on whether Senga is forced to skip a start or head to the injured list. There’s no way to know for the time being. He’s surely just in the very initial stages of evaluation. That situation will be worth watching with a close eye, but so long as he avoids a lengthy trip to the IL, that same scenario of six to eight generally established big league starters vying for five rotation spots will loom as a possibility. The Mets could move to a six-man rotation, of course, though Sherman notes that they prefer not to play one reliever short, as they’d be required to do by rolling out a permanent six-man staff.

If the Mets do end up giving serious thought to trading Blackburn, there’ll be no shortage of interested teams. He’s hardly a front-of-the-rotation piece, but the 31-year-old righty carries a 4.39 ERA, 20.1% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate over his past 299 1/3 major league innings. He’s pitched in 58 games over that stretch, with all but two of them coming out of the rotation.

Blackburn is in his final season of club control. He’s being paid $4.05MM this year, with about $2.35MM of that sum yet to be paid out. He’s a free agent at the end of the season, so the Mets probably won’t get a particularly large return for him, but they could get a nominal prospect or perhaps a lower-end reliever with more team control. On top of that, trading Blackburn would actually save the Mets around $4.94MM, given that they’re deep in the top bracket of luxury tax penalization and thus subject to a 110% tax on every dollar over the top threshold.

MLBTR Podcast: White Sox Ownership, Roman Anthony, And The Diamondbacks’ Rotation

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Do the Mariners need a left-hander in the rotation? (40:45)
  • What will the Braves do with the rest of the season and would they trade Chris Sale? (45:30)
  • With the Mets seemingly having too many young infielders, who stays and who goes? (53:35)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images

Mets Sign Travis Jankowski To Minor League Deal

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The Mets signed veteran outfielder — and former Met — Travis Jankowski to a minor league deal, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. The Excel Sports client will head to Triple-A Syracuse for the time being.

Jankowski was placed on waivers by the Rays earlier this month. He went unclaimed and elected free agency, as is his right as a player with more than more than three years of service (more than eight, in Jankowski’s case). His time with Tampa Bay, during which he batted .244/.286/.289 in 49 plate appearances, gives him at least some level of big league action in 11 consecutive seasons.

Though he crossed eight years of MLB service during that Rays stint, Jankowski has never been a regular in the majors. He played a career-high 131 games with the 2016 Padres but did so in a limited, part-time role (383 plate appearances). He’s never topped the 387 plate appearances he logged with the 2018 Padres and has a total of 805 plate appearances over the past seven MLB seasons.

Jankowski is a career .236/.318/.305 hitter. He has negligible power and a league-average strikeout rate but draws plenty of walks, runs well and can play solid defense at all three outfield positions. He’s a nice fourth or fifth outfielder who’ll head to Triple-A and see if an opportunity opens up with the Mets’ big league squad, where Brandon Nimmo, Tyrone Taylor and Juan Soto are currently the main outfield options.

Both Jared Young and Starling Marte can technically play in the outfield, but they have four combined appearances on the grass this season. Outfielders Jose Siri and Jesse Winker are currently on the injured list (although the latter has primarily been a designated hitter). Jeff McNeil is effectively the Mets’ fourth outfielder at the moment. He’s logged 96 innings in the outfield, including 49 in center.

Jankowski was with the Mets back in 2022 but went just 9-for-44, with all nine of those hits being singles. That came out to a .167/.286/.167 batting line, but he could find himself with the opportunity to make a more lasting impression this time around, should the Mets incur an outfield injury or opt to move McNeil back to second base on a full-time basis.

Jed Hoyer: Cubs Planning To Look For Pitching At Deadline

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Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer joined the New York Post’s Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman for an interview on the latest edition of The Show podcast (YouTube link), and discussed a number of topics about both his team and baseball at large.  Though we’re still several weeks away from the July 31 trade deadline, Hoyer did address his first-place team’s likeliest need.

“I think we’re going to be looking for pitching, both rotation and in the bullpen,” Hoyer said.  “I don’t think that’s a secret.  That’s not a knock on the guys we have.  But I think in today’s game, you’ve got to keep building depth.”

Justin Steele pitched in just four games before his season was prematurely ended by a UCL revision surgery, thus robbing Wrigleyville of one of its top arms for almost the entirety of the 2025 campaign.  Javier Assad hasn’t pitched at all this season due to a pair of oblique injuries, and since he only started playing catch a couple of weeks ago, it would seem that a return prior to the All-Star break might not be in the cards.  Shota Imanaga hasn’t pitched since May 4 due to a hamstring strain, and Hoyer said “the hope is” Imanaga will be able to return to the rotation before the end of June.

Without their two top pitchers and another hurler in Assad that expected to at least compete for a back-end rotation job, Chicago has done well to hold its own on the rotation front even with such a depleted set of starters.  Hoyer made a point of praising his in-house starters and his team’s defense for helping the run-prevention efforts, yet bringing at least one starting pitcher into the fold seems like a logical way to reinforce the roster heading into the pennant drive.

As one might expect, Hoyer didn’t share any hints about how big of a splash the Cubs are looking to make at the deadline, and still couched his comments within the framework of “if” the front office chose to make any additions by July 31.  It could be that Hoyer may not know the answer to such questions himself at the moment, as the Cubs’ trade pursuits may hinge on Imanaga’s assumed healthy status by July 31, Assad’s progress, or any other injuries or pitchers who are under- or overachieving in the coming weeks.

Hoyer also said that Porter Hodge is expected to return from his own oblique injury before June is out, which will bring another high-leverage candidate back to help the relief corps.  As Hoyer put it, however, bullpens are “always a work in progress…I don’t think you ever get to a point of feeling comfortable or feeling like it’s a set thing.”  With this in mind, the pen will be a focus both on July 31, and “we’ll keep on making small transactions [before the deadline] as well to get marginally better.”

On the flip side of the equation, Hoyer doesn’t see the Cubs doing much to alter its impressive core of position players on the trade front.  The Cubs have been one of baseball’s best hitting teams, with the powerful offense helping make up for any of the pitching staff’s shortcomings.

“Barring injury, there are probably some small things [we’ll consider] on the offensive side, but really I think that our position-playing group has been really good….The depth we have, top to bottom, I think we’re getting production both offensively and defensively from all our spots.  That’s made a huge difference.  As I think about it, pitching is the likely direction we would take if we were adding [at the deadline],” Hoyer said.

In terms of other topics, Hoyer said he wouldn’t comment publicly on either the existence of any extensions talks between the Cubs and Kyle Tucker, or even any talks between himself and the team on a new deal, as Hoyer’s current contract is up after the 2025 season.  Hoyer repeated past comments about how he hoped Tucker would stay in Chicago over the long term, and how much he has enjoyed his own 14-season tenure in the organization as first a general manager and then the head of the baseball operations department.

Hoyer did go into a little more detail about what might now be the most impactful trade of his five-year run as PBO — the July 2021 deadline deal that brought Pete Crow-Armstrong to the then-rebuilding Cubs from the Mets for Javier Baez, Trevor Williams, and some cash considerations.  New York took Crow-Armstrong 19th overall in the 2020 draft so it wasn’t as if PCA was an unknown quantity, yet a shoulder surgery limited the outfielder to only six games in his first pro season.

The Mets weren’t willing to discuss moving more highly-touted prospects at the time, as Hoyer said such players as Francisco Alvarez, Matt Allan, and Brett Baty were “off the table” in trade talks.  Mark Vientos “was a guy that was kind of discussed a little bit but it was clear they didn’t want to part with him,” Hoyer noted, so discussions turned towards elsewhere on New York’s minor league depth chart.

Crow-Armstrong “was sort of out of sight, out of mind, I believe,” Hoyer said.  “Looking back, I think his injury didn’t allow him to perform, and therefore I think he became a guy [the Mets] were willing to trade in that deal.  So I think it was good fortune for us that they did take some really good players off the table, and most of those guys are helping the Mets right now, but Pete’s injury allowed that to happen and it worked out really well for us.”

While Hoyer felt Crow-Armstrong was going to improve as a hitter during his second full Major League season, even the executive admitted to being a little surprised at the extent of the breakout.  PCA has been one of the very best all-around players in the sport, delivering 17 homers, 21 stolen bases, and a .277/.313/.559 slash line over 275 plate appearances while also playing Gold Glove-level defense in center field.

Mets Select Justin Garza

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The Mets announced that they have selected right-hander Justin Garza to their major league roster. Left-hander Brandon Waddell was optioned in a corresponding active roster move. The 40-man roster had two vacancies, so their count climbs from 38 to 39.

Garza, 31, started the season on a minor league contract with the Giants. This past weekend, the Mets acquired him, sending some cash considerations to San Francisco in return. He has tossed 17 2/3 innings over 19 Triple-A appearances this year. His 6.11 earned run average in that time is obviously not great but there are other metrics that the Mets are presumably more interested in.

The righty has been averaging over 96 miles per hour on his fastballs this year. When he was last in the majors, he was in the 93-95 mph range. His 26% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate this year are both strong numbers. However, he has allowed a .340 batting average on balls in play. His 68.6% strand rate is a bit low. He has also allowed four home runs, a rate of 22.2% per fly ball. That work has come in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, so perhaps the Mets are hoping that Garza’s skills will play better in a different setting. Citi Field is generally pitcher-friendly but can be close to neutral when it comes to home runs.

Garza does have some major league experience, with a 5.74 ERA, 21% strikeout rate and 13.7% walk rate in 47 innings. That poor control has also been a feature of his minor league work. From 2021 to 2023, he logged 102 2/3 innings on the farm with 3.94 ERA and 27.4% strikeout rate but a 12.4% walk rate. Last year, he only walked 8% of Triple-A batters he faced and has stayed in that range in 2025.

Though his major league track record isn’t great, adding velocity while improving control is an intriguing step forward, so the Mets will give him a fresh chance. He has a couple of option years remaining, which surely adds to the appeal, as he can be sent to Syracuse and back fairly freely if he holds down a 40-man roster spot.

Photo courtesy of Bob DeChiara, Imagn Images

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