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Mets Designate Jose Castillo For Assignment

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The Mets have designated left-hander Jose Castillo for assignment, per a club announcement. The move makes room for the addition of lefty Gregory Soto to the active roster. Soto was acquired from the Orioles on Friday.

Castillo, 29, debuted with the Padres all the way back in 2018. That rookie year saw him pitch to a 3.29 ERA with a 2.64 FIP in 38 1/3 innings of work while striking out opponents at a 34.7% clip. It was an impressive showing, but injuries and ineffectiveness limited Castillo to just three total outings in the majors over the next six seasons. He surrendered five runs on four walks while striking out three in two innings of work during those outings, though he posted decent numbers at the Triple-A level with a 4.32 ERA in 125 innings of work with a 29.1% strikeout rate during that time.

The lefty eventually resurfaced this year and has split his time between the Mets and Diamondbacks. His five outings in Arizona went quite poorly, as he surrendered eight runs on ten hits and three walks while striking out just three in 6 1/3 frames, but since joining the Mets back in May he’s looked much better with a 2.19 ERA and 2.76 FIP in 14 appearances. Castillo has already been designated for assignment and outrighted off New York’s roster once this season. He’ll now go through the waiver process again unless the Mets are able to work out a trade involving him prior to Thursday’s trade deadline. If he goes unclaimed on waivers once again, he’ll have the opportunity to either accept an outright assignment to the minor leagues from the Mets or elect free agency, at which point he would be free to sign with any of the league’s 30 clubs on a fresh contract.

Replacing Castillo on the roster is Soto who the Mets dealt a pair of prospects to Baltimore in order to acquire. The southpaw has a 3.96 ERA in 36 1/3 innings of work for the Orioles this year, with a 27.5% strikeout rate and a 3.28 FIP. A two time All-Star with the Tigers in 2021 and ’22, Soto was shipped to the Phillies prior to the 2023 season and has struggled during his time with Philadelphia and Baltimore since then, with a lackluster 4.53 ERA across the 2023 and ’24 seasons despite a tidy 3.63 FIP. The Mets will surely help that they can help him return to his prior All-Star caliber form so he can join the late-inning mix alongside closer Edwin Diaz, but even if Soto is little more than a league average middle relief arm for the club he’ll offer much-needed depth to a bullpen that has lost a half dozen relievers to the injured list already.

Mets Have Shown Interest In Sandy Alcantara

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The Mets are among the teams that have shown interest in Sandy Alcantara, reports Mike Puma of The New York Post. They’d seemingly remain one of the longer shots to land the former Cy Young winner. Intra-division trades of controllable players aren’t easy to make, and the Mets have reportedly been more focused on bullpen upgrades than the rotation.

New York already made the first of what’ll likely be multiple bullpen pickups this afternoon. They sent a pair of pitching prospects to the Orioles for hard-throwing southpaw Gregory Soto. They’re at least exploring the starting pitching and center field markets in addition to their reliever pursuits.

Alcantara has a 6.66 earned run average across 20 starts. His career-low 16.7% strikeout rate is well below average. Alcantara has gotten far fewer chases and swinging strikes this year than in any prior season. For all those alarming trends, he’ll intrigue teams as a change-of-scenery candidate. Alcantara’s 97.6 MPH average fastball velocity is back to where it was before he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023. He is signed with Miami for $17MM this year and next and is guaranteed a $2MM buyout on a $21MM club option for 2027.

President of baseball operations David Stearns suggested this week that the Mets would be comfortable with a potential playoff rotation comprising some combination of Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, David Peterson, Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas. Holmes is already at a career-high workload in his first full MLB season as a starter. He has struggled in July after a strong first three months. Senga, Manaea, and Montas have all had injury issues this year. The Mets could also get Tylor Megill back next month, yet he’s a question mark as he rehabs an elbow sprain.

Stearns also indicated the Mets could be content with the combination of Jeff McNeil and Tyrone Taylor in center field. Still, they’re on the periphery of that market. The Post’s Jon Heyman suggests they’re showing continued interest in long-rumored target Luis Robert Jr. Earlier this week, SNY’s Andy Martino called Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins a “consideration.”

Mullins is an impending free agent who’ll definitely be moved, but he hasn’t hit since April. Robert, whose contract contains consecutive $20MM team options for 2026-27, had an awful first few months offensively but has picked things up over the past couple weeks. Robert hits left-handed pitching well, plays plus defense, and steals bases, so he’s the more desirable trade candidate of that duo.

Mets Select José Castillo

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The Mets announced today that they have selected left-hander José Castillo to the roster. Right-hander Alex Carrillo has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding active roster move. Righty Max Kranick has been transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot. It was reported a week ago that Kranick will require season-ending elbow surgery.

The Mets have been churning arms through their bullpen for a long time, thanks to a string of injuries, particularly to left-handers. They had planned on having A.J. Minter and Danny Young as their southpaw contingent in the bullpen but both required season-ending surgeries by the middle of May. Since then, they’ve also lost Kranick and Dedniel Núñez to the scalpel.

Castillo, 29, was one of the reinforcements. He was acquired from the Diamondbacks in mid-May, shortly after Minter and Young went down. He spent a little over a month on the roster, tossing 11 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs despite giving up 16 hits, issuing six walks and hitting four opponents. He struck out 14 batters and got ground balls on 55.9% of balls in play allowed.

The Mets bumped him off the roster at the end of June and then passed him through waivers. He accepted an outright assignment and has since been pitching for Syracuse, allowing one earned run in 5 1/3 innings.

Not too long ago, the Mets activated Brooks Raley from the injured list, as he had recovered from last year’s Tommy John surgery. They acquired Gregory Soto from the Orioles earlier today. Now with Castillo coming back, they will have three lefties whenever Soto reports to the team. However, it’s also possible that Castillo gets bumped out again to make room for Soto at that point. The Mets could also make further relief additions between now and next week’s deadline.

Photo courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images

Mets Acquire Gregory Soto

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The Mets and Orioles announced a deal sending left-handed reliever Gregory Soto from Baltimore to New York. The O’s acquired minor league right-handers Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster.

Soto, 30, has pitched to a 3.96 ERA this season and carries a 3.91 mark dating all the way back to 2021. He’s playing the season on a $5.35MM salary and is a pure free agent at season’s end. He still has about $1.87MM of his salary yet to be paid out, and since the Mets are third-time luxury tax payors in the top penalty bracket, there’ll be a 110% tax on that sum. That brings the total financial expenditure to about $3.925MM.

Armed with a four-seamer that averages 97.1 mph and a sinker that’s sitting 96.7 mph, Soto can miss bats in bunches but struggles to command his sizzling repertoire. He’s fanned 27.5% of his opponents this year but also issued walks at an 11.3% clip that’s pretty well aligned with his career mark.

Still, Soto has avoided too much damage from righties, and lefties may as well not even bother stepping into the box (.138/.271/.276). He’ll give a Mets club that has been focused on adding at least one lefty to its bullpen a potent weapon against divisional foes like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Matt Olson down the stretch, to say nothing of potential key matchups against prominent lefties like Shohei Ohtani or Kyle Tucker in the postseason.

The Mets opened the season with lefties A.J. Minter and Danny Young locked into key bullpen roles. Both required season-ending surgery in May — Minter to repair a torn lat and Young to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament. They’ve since re-signed Brooks Raley, who was rehabbing from his own Tommy John surgery but is now back in the big league ’pen. Soto now adds a second lefty back into the mix as well as another flamethrower who sits 97 or better (alongside closer Edwin Diaz and setup men Ryne Stanek and Reed Garrett).

Adding to the bullpen has been president of baseball operations David Stearns’ top priority as the deadline approaches. The Mets figure to continue to explore the market for bullpen help, and Stearns has at least acknowledged that they could pursue an upgrade in center field. The Mets have a healthy rotation at the moment, but one would assume that if they could find a price to their liking, a deal for a potential playoff starter isn’t entirely off the table.

In exchange for Soto, the Orioles will add a pair of pitching prospects to their system — one (Foster) that’s close to the majors and another (Aracena) who is more of a development project but comes with a higher ceiling.

The 26-year-old Foster was a 14th-round pick out of McNeese State in 2022. He opened the season in Double-A Binghamton’s bullpen and breezed through opposing lineups, pitching to a minuscule 1.01 ERA with a 34% strikeout rate and 5% walk rate in 26 2/3 innings. It’s eye-catching production, though it bears noting that at 26, Foster was noticeably older and further along in his development than his Double-A opponents. He was recently moved up to Triple-A, where he’s pitched 3 2/3 innings and been tagged for seven runs on seven hits and three walks.

Listed at 6’5″ and 230 pounds, Foster has the frame of a power reliever. He’s never ranked among the Mets’ top prospects, though FanGraphs Eric Longenhagen noted just last month that he’s sharpened his slider since being drafted and it now grades as a plus offering. He’s a potential bullpen option and, given his recent promotion to Triple-A, could feasibly get a look as soon as this season. Foster would be Rule 5-eligible in the offseason if the Orioles leave him off the 40-man roster, so it seems there’s a good chance he’ll be selected to the 40-man after the season, if not sooner.

Aracena, 20, is widely ranked within the Mets’ top-30  prospects, sitting 14th at FanGraphs as of last month and 28th at Baseball America. There’s a wide range of opinions on him due to the hard-throwing righty’s poor command. Aracena has walked 13.2% of his A-ball opponents in 2025, and that’s actually a significant improvement over 2024, when he issued free passes to 20.2% of the batters he faced.

Shaky command notwithstanding, Aracena sits 97-98 mph with a fastball that tops out around 101 mph. Baseball America’s scouting report on him also touts a heavily used cutter that sits 93 mph and a still-developing slider with more movement that checks in a few miles per hour slower. In ranking Aracena 14th in the Mets’ system, Longenhagen praises the life on all of his pitches and adds that there “aren’t really many other big league pitchers whose stuff bears a resemblance to Aracena’s cutter-heavy mix.”

Aracena won’t turn 21 until December. In all likelihood, he’s not likely to be a big league option until at least 2027, and that’s assuming continued health and progression in his development. He’s a bullpen prospect with a lofty ceiling, however, and coupling him with another late-blooming relief prospect who’s much closer to big league readiness makes for a solid return on two-plus months of a hard-throwing Soto, to whom the Orioles were never going to extend a qualifying offer.

Soto becomes the second reliever traded from the Baltimore bullpen, joining Bryan Baker (who went to the Rays). Just as Stearns & Co. surely have more additions in store for the Mets, O’s general manager Mike Elias will have several more sell-side moves to execute in the next six days. Soto’s bullpen-mate Seranthony Dominguez, first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, center fielder Cedric Mullins and starting pitchers Charlie Morton, Zach Eflin and Tomoyuki Sugano are all free agents at season’s end.

SNY’s Andy Martino was first with the trade terms.

Latest On Eugenio Suárez’s Market

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The D-backs have officially chosen a lane and are heading down a seller’s trajectory. First baseman Josh Naylor is already on his way to the Mariners for a pair of pitching prospects, but it’s third baseman Eugenio Suárez and his thunderous power output that have captivated fans of contenders for much of deadline season. The 33-year-old, earning $15MM in the final year of his contract, is hitting .252/.325/.593 with 36 home runs on the season — including 21 round-trippers dating back to June 1 (a span of 179 plate appearances.

Even after the Mariners landed Naylor, they remain in the mix for Suárez, per multiple reports from the Seattle beat (link via Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 770 AM). Naylor cost the Mariners two well-regarded pitching prospects — lefty Brandyn Garcia and righty Ashton Izzi — but left the upper tiers of a Seattle farm system that’s arguably the best in baseball untouched. Earlier in the week, Suárez was reported to be the Mariners’ top deadline target. Adding Naylor, it seems, will not put an end to that existing pursuit.

They’ll face steep competition, however, It’s known that in addition to the Mariners, each of the Reds, Cubs and Yankees have some level of interest in the Arizona third baseman. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, as John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reported earlier today that as many as a dozen teams have at least looked into the possibility of adding Suárez to their lineup.

That includes at least one division rival. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports that in the wake of a serious injury to Isaac Paredes, the Astros have joined the bidding for Suárez. Houston has some hurdles in their path to landing the coveted D-backs slugger, however. Owner Jim Crane has been loath to cross the luxury tax threshold for what would be a second straight season. Adding Suárez would put them into tax territory unless the ’Stros shed payroll elsewhere or convince the Snakes to pay down his salary. Houston also does not have as strong a farm system as many of the teams against which they’d be bidding.

Whether it’s Suárez or another bat, the Astros’ priorities seem to have shifted. General manager Dana Brown suggested earlier in the summer that pitching would be his primary focus. Now, with Paredes shelved indefinitely and Yordan Alvarez’s recovery from a hand fracture dragging out, Brown tells Chandler Rome of The Athletic that his primary focus is on adding to its lineup. The Astros have several starters on the mend, including Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia, Spencer Arrighetti, J.P. France and Lance McCullers Jr. It seems they’ll hope for some internal reinforcements to support co-aces Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez and instead aim to use their limited financial and prospect resources to augment the offense.

With that number of teams at least on the periphery of the market, it can be presumed that most contenders have at least put out some feelers. One team that notably is not in the running, per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, is the Mets — at least for the moment. Despite a rotating cast of characters on the infield this year — Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña have all seen time around the infield but struggled to varying extents — the Mets’ main focus has been and remains upgrading the bullpen.

That said, SNY’s Andy Martino suggests that if the Mets use that infield depth to add to the bullpen or rotation (which they’re reportedly willing to do), they could at least consider the idea of pursuing Suárez to take over at the hot corner. The Mets haven’t been keen on parting with top prospects for rental players, but the D-backs have been scouting their Double-A club, in particular, with an eye toward potential Suárez packages, per Martino.

There’s no immediate indication that a Suárez trade will come together quickly on the heels of the Naylor swap, but the very fact that Naylor is on his way out the door serves as a clear indicator that any combination of Suárez, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly — at the very least — could be on the move in the next week. The D-backs also have rental relievers Jalen Beeks and Shelby Miller as trade candidates (Miller is on the injured list but has resumed throwing), and outfielder Randal Grichuk has a mutual option that won’t be exercised by both parties.

Diamondbacks Reportedly Planning To Be Deadline Sellers

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The Diamondbacks seem to have picked a lane. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that they are informing rival clubs that they plan to trade at least some of their veteran players, though the extent of their sell-off is still to be determined. Many of their players are impending free agents and qualifying offer candidates, so the trade returns would have to notably eclipse QO compensation for the Diamondbacks to pull the trigger on trading one of those players. It also seems they don’t want to totally wave the white flag on 2025, so they won’t just sell any theoretical candidate.

It’s a tricky spot for the club to be in. As noted by Rosenthal, the club may not want to punt the 2025 season. Back in 2023, they snuck into the playoffs with 84 wins and ended up going all the way to the World Series, eventually falling to the Rangers. But their 2025 club has been decimated by injuries, particularly on the pitching side. Corbin Burnes, Jordan Montgomery, A.J. Puk, Justin Martínez and others have required season-ending surgeries. Notable position players like Gabriel Moreno and Pavin Smith are also on the shelf.

Despite all of that, the club has hung around the playoff race. General manager Mike Hazen has spoken about how he would like to act as a buyer at the deadline but needed the club to justify that position by winning games. They came out of the All-Star break with a sweep of the Cardinals, but then got swept by the Astros. They are currently 50-53 and 5.5 games out of a playoff spot. They’re not totally buried but it seems the club has decided this may not be their year and some decisions should be made to help the club focus on the future.

Moving more clearly into seller position will have its advantages. With the expanded postseason, many clubs are still in contention, which makes it a seller’s market. By making some attractive players available, the front office could do a lot to help the Diamondbacks in the future.

Young pitching seems likely to be a focus. The rotation is set to lose Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly to free agency. Burnes will still be recovering from his surgery for a lot of next year. The 2026 rotation projects to include Eduardo Rodríguez, Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson. Rodríguez and Pfaadt are struggling this year. Nelson is doing well but has only really had a rotation spot for about six weeks, having been in long relief until injuries opened a spot for him. The Snakes could improve their 2026 rotation outlook by getting some younger pitchers now.

Eugenio Suárez seems the most likely player to be traded. He’s an impending free agent and his stock is tremendously high right now, since he’s been on a heater for more than a year. Dating back to July 7th of last year, he has 60 home runs, a .277/.334/.607 batting line and 154 wRC+. He has a $15MM salary this year, which will leave about $5MM left to be paid out at the deadline.

He will be highly attractive. He’s already been connected to teams like the Cubs, Yankees, Mariners and Reds. Rosenthal mentions those teams and adds the Mets to the pile. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix says 12 teams in total have contacted the Snakes about Suárez. Bob Nightengale of USA Today says the Mariners and Yankees are the most aggressive of the suitors, though the market appears to be very crowded.

The Mets have a cluster of young infielders which includes Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Luisangel Acuña and Ronny Mauricio. Baty is the only one in that group having a good season, though he’s also been playing some second base, so it’s possible he could co-exist with Suárez. The Mets are also reportedly willing to trade from that infield depth, so it’s possible Suárez could be brought in as part of a bigger shake-up.

With that hot market, it’s easy to the appeal for the Snakes in cashing in. It’s also possible that it could hurt their 2025 chances less than trading some of their other veterans. Jordan Lawlar is one of the top prospects in baseball but has been blocked from getting a big league audition. He can’t be expected to come up and produce at the same level as Suárez but it’s possible he could run with the opportunity and make up some of what is lost. He is currently out with a hamstring strain but could be back in the coming weeks. Even if he doesn’t come up and immediately succeed, there would be value in the Diamondbacks giving him an extended audition before they have to make key offseason decisions about their lineup.

There are some parallels on the other side of the infield. Josh Naylor is an impending free agent and consistently above-average hitter. Dating back to the start of 2022, he has a .272/.336/.462 line and 121 wRC+. He is making $10.9MM this year, which will leave a little under $4MM to be paid out as the deadline nears. Smith has been putting up big numbers the past two years and could take over for Naylor at first, though he’s currently sidelined by an oblique strain. Naylor has been connected to the Mariners though they are reportedly more interested in Suárez.

As mentioned, Gallen and Kelly are also impending free agents. Rosenthal has previously suggested the club is unlikely to trade both as they will still need innings to get through the season. That’s a bit of an odd hedge. They could always grab cast-offs from other clubs, Erick Fedde types, to finish the year. But perhaps the Snakes are trying to walk a fine line where they sell some pieces without totally punting their 2025 campaign. Trading one of this duo but keeping the other could be a compromise along those lines.

Kelly is having the better season but Gallen has higher theoretical upside. Jesse Rogers of ESPN recently reported that teams were a bit more interested in Gallen, despite the recent results. Gallen, 29, has a 5.58 ERA and 22.2% strikeout rate this year. Some of that might be luck, as he his 65.1% strand rate and 16.7% home run to fly ball rate are both to the unfortunate side. His 4.16 SIERA suggests he might not be too far from his past self, though his hard hit rate and barrel rate are also quite high this year, so it might not be all luck.

From 2022 to 2024, Gallen tossed 542 innings with a 3.20 ERA, 26% strikeout rate, 6% walk rate, 44.4% ground ball rate, 3.20 FIP and 3.60 SIERA. FanGraphs credited him with 12.1 wins above replacement in that time, seventh among all pitchers. It’s understandable that teams looking for rotation upgrades, particularly for the postseason, would be intrigued by acquiring Gallen and getting him back to that level. He is making $13.50MM this year, which will leave about $4.5MM left to be paid out at the deadline. He’s been connected to the Blue Jays but should be of interest to several other pitching-needy teams.

Kelly, 36, doesn’t have the same ace ceiling but has been more steady. He is in his seventh season with the Snakes and has a 3.76 ERA. That figure was 3.37 in 2022 and 3.29 in 2023. Last year, injuries limited him to 13 starts and his ERA jumped a bit to 4.03. This year, it’s back down to 3.32. He has a 24.2% strikeout rate, 7.6% walk rate and 44.2% ground ball rate. He’s making $7MM this year, so he’ll have just $2.33MM left to be paid out at the deadline.

Any of those four players is a plausible candidate to receive and perhaps a reject a qualifying offer candidate at season’s end. The exact value of the QO hasn’t been set, but is likely to be somewhere around $22MM. The 2024-25 qualifying offer was $21.05MM and it usually goes up annually.

The Diamondbacks are a revenue-sharing recipient, which affects their compensation for a player rejecting a QO and signing elsewhere. If the player ultimately signs for $50MM or more, the Snakes would get an extra draft pick just after the first round. Less than $50MM and the pick would come just ahead of the third round.

While teams value draft picks, drafted players usually take a few years to reach the majors. The Diamondbacks are presumably hoping to contend again in the near future, while they still have core players like Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte putting up great numbers. By trading these impending free agents, they could garner returns of prospects who are closer to the majors than anyone they would draft next summer. That should move the needle to the trade side, though it also seems like they’re leery of totally bottoming out their chances of hanging in the race this year.

In addition to those names, the Diamondbacks could also sell other impending free agents, such as Randal Grichuk and Shelby Miller. Those players wouldn’t bring back huge returns, though they’re also less essential to the club contending down the stretch in 2025. The Snakes have also reportedly gotten some interest in Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who is signed through 2027. They have also reportedly listened to offers on controllable outfielders like Alek Thomas and Jake McCarthy. Time will tell how aggressively they smash the sell button but it seems like the Diamondbacks will be one of the most interesting clubs to watch over the next week.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

Padres Have Discussed Dylan Cease With Several Teams

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The Padres have spoken to several teams about the possibility of trading right-hander Dylan Cease, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney. The Cubs, Mets and multiple AL East clubs have had some talks with San Diego, per the report. Separately, Olney’s colleague Jeff Passan also suggests that Cease has come up in trade talks, though that’s framed as other clubs approaching the Padres and not expressly being turned away.

Whether the Padres have initiated talks or whether they’re simply hearing other teams out, the possibility of trading Cease speaks to multiple challenges for San Diego over the next week-plus. The Friars’ farm system is not particularly well regarded beyond its top two prospects, and the team is ostensibly reluctant to part with either Leo De Vries or Ethan Salas. That leaves the Padres with a fairly light slate of prospects from which to deal.

Talks surrounding Cease could also reflect what looked to be the case in the late stages of the offseason: the Padres’ baseball operations staff does not appear to have much financial firepower at its disposal. The new-look ownership structure hasn’t been as keen to spend as the late Peter Seidler. They’re still well north of the luxury tax threshold, but the team’s actual cash payroll is down considerably from its 2023 peak.

The Padres’ late-offseason dealings put a spotlight on that lack of resources. Nick Pivetta’s four-year, $55MM deal pays him just $4MM in the first season of the contract. Catcher Elias Diaz ($3.5MM), lefty Kyle Hart ($1.5MM) and outfielders Connor Joe ($1MM) and Jason Heyward ($1MM) signed one-year contracts valued at a combined $7MM. Their other late additions included minor league deals for Yuli Gurriel, Gavin Sheets, Jose Iglesias and Martin Maldonado. Each cracked the big league roster at the end of camp, but Iglesias’ $3MM base salary was the largest of the bunch.

Trading Cease while still aiming to contend might seem counterintuitive, but the Padres could accomplish multiple goals, in theory. He’s an impending free agent who’s earning $13.75MM this season with about $4.95MM of that sum yet to be paid out. Trimming nearly $5MM off the books would create a decent bit of money to pursue upgrades behind the plate, in left field and perhaps on the bench — all areas of need. It’d also net some prospects of note, any of whom could subsequently be flipped to another team to address various needs on the roster.

Of course, moving Cease would also further deplete a perilously thin rotation. Michael King has been out nearly two months due to shoulder inflammation, and Joe Musgrove is out all season following last year’s Tommy John surgery. With Cease out of the picture, the Padres would be left with Pivetta, Yu Darvish, Stephen Kolek, Randy Vasquez and rookie Ryan Bergert in the rotation — at least until King returns. It’s not a great group, and the depth beyond it is shaky at best.

To that end, Olney further reports that even while discussing Cease, the Padres have been in contact with the Orioles about right-hander Charlie Morton, who’s widely expected to be traded between now and July 31. Morton’s $15MM salary is even larger than that of Cease, so presumably the Padres would be interested only if the Orioles were to include cash to offset a portion of the deal (likely enough so San Diego would owe a good bit less than the $4.95MM left on Cease’s contract).

Morton got out to a terrible start this season but has posted terrific numbers over his past 12 appearances overall (even including a seven-run hiccup his last time out). Since May 10, he’s posted a 3.47 ERA with a 25.9% strikeout rate, a 7.7% walk rate and a 44.2% grounder rate. Metrics like FIP (3.30) and SIERA (3.49) generally support his resurgence. Over that span, Morton has actually outpitched Cease, though Cease’s power arsenal, track record and sustained ability to miss bats would still hold greater appeal to most clubs on the lookout for rotation upgrades.

Cease hasn’t had his best season but has been generally solid since a catastrophic nine-run drubbing in his third start of the year. Dating back to April 14, Cease has pitched 99 innings with a 4.09 ERA, a 30% strikeout rate and an 8.6% walk rate. His swinging-strike rate in that time is nearly 17% — a massive mark — and he’s averaging better than 97 mph on his heater. He’s had some struggles with runners on base this year and at least a little bit of batted-ball misfortune (.319 compared to his .290 mark entering the season), but Cease is still throwing hard, missing bats at a plus rate and limiting walks at an average clip. For any of the Cubs, Mets or any AL East contender, he’d very likely step right into a theoretical playoff rotation, barring a late injury or substantial downturn in results.

Mets Prioritizing Bullpen Help

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The Mets have several areas where they could plausibly pursue upgrades prior to next week’s trade deadline, but president of baseball operations David Stearns indicated yesterday that his primary focus is on improving the bullpen (link via ESPN’s Jorge Castillo).

Mets relievers have been a middle-of-the-pack unit overall, ranking 13th with a combined 3.87 ERA on the season. They’ve struggled to a 5.30 mark over the past month, however, due in no small part to injury. A.J. Minter’s season ended in early May when he required surgery to repair a torn lat. Fellow southpaw Danny Young had Tommy John surgery that same month. Righties Max Kranick and Dedniel Nunez both went down with season-ending arm injuries as well.

The Mets have used a staggering 30 different relief pitchers this season, including 23 over just the past 30 days. They’ve treated the final couple spots in the relief corps as a revolving door, frequently shuttling in waiver claims and minor league signees when they need a fresh arm, than designating those players for assignment in favor of the next arm that comes down the conveyor belt. It’s led to a dizzying number of Mets transactions and constant turnover among the relief corps. Many of those stopgaps have been hit hard, and mainstays Reed Garrett and especially Huascar Brazoban have struggled over the past month.

Edwin Diaz, Ryne Stanek, Garrett and Brazoban have been constants in Carlos Mendoza’s bullpen. The Mets clearly have room to add multiple arms and should likely be expected to do just that. They were in the mix to sign David Robertson before he opted to reunite with the Phillies, and they reportedly have some interest in Twins left-hander Danny Coulombe (at a time when Minnesota is said to be increasingly open to offers on rental players).

The Mets have been tied to rotation upgrades, reportedly showing interest in Pirates righty Mitch Keller and in Marlins righty Edward Cabrera. Stearns downplayed the possibility of adding to his starting staff, however, stating that he’s “comfortable” with the in-house group and its ability to navigate a postseason series. If Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, David Peterson and Frankie Montas can all remain healthy, New York’s starting five indeed looks sharp, but health is hardly a given. Each of Senga, Manaea and Montas has had a monthslong IL stint within the past 15 months. Holmes is in his first season stretching back into a rotation role after years as a high-leverage reliever.

Similarly, while Stearns acknowledged that he expects to explore the market for center fielders, an acquisition isn’t necessarily likely. The Mets have been pleased with Jeff McNeil’s increased comfort in center and Tyrone Taylor’s defensive play. “[T]he bar to improve center field has probably risen over the past, let’s say, two weeks,” Stearns said.

Stearns naturally did not decisively rule out a center field addition, but it’s a thin market in terms of options. Cedric Mullins is likely available in Baltimore, and the O’s have multiple relievers available (e.g. Gregory Soto, Seranthony Dominguez and perhaps Andrew Kittredge). Similarly, if the Mets already have interest in Minnesota’s Coulombe, they could look into both him and old friend Harrison Bader, who’s on a one-year deal and has performed well on both sides of the ball in the Twin Cities. The White Sox have both Luis Robert Jr. and Mike Tauchman available. The former has finally begun to heat up in recent weeks, while the latter has hit well for much of the season. If the Mets wanted to take a bigger swing, they could try to pry Oneil Cruz from Pittsburgh. He (reportedly) is not completely off the table, but the asking price would surely be extreme.

The Mets are willing to deal from their collection of young infielders, which includes Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña. They also have several pitching prospects on the cusp of the majors, including Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean and Blade Tidwell. Stearns noted that any of the three could be a candidate to join the bullpen down the stretch but added the Mets will be cautious with such decisions, as once a starting pitcher is ramped down to a bullpen role during the season, it’s hard to stretch him back out.

Mets Designate Chris Devenski For Assignment

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The Mets announced a series of roster moves today. Outfielder/designated hitter Starling Marte has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Infielder Jared Young has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move. The club also activated recent waiver claimee Rico Garcia and recalled right-hander Justin Garza. To open spots for those two arms, the club optioned right-hander Kevin Herget and designated right-hander Chris Devenski for assignment. Additionally, left-hander Brandon Waddell’s optional assignment was reversed and he has instead been placed on the major league 15-day injured list due to a right hip impingement.

Devenski, 34, signed a minor league deal with the Mets in the offseason. He was selected to the big league roster in April. As a veteran with well over five years of major league service time, he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent. The Mets have optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse three times this year, so he presumably agreed to those transactions.

This time, instead of being optioned, he’s been designated for assignment. The Mets didn’t need to open a 40-man spot today, so it’s unclear why they’ve done so. With the deadline coming up, they are expected to pursue bullpen upgrades. Perhaps the Mets, or Devenski, realized that their relationship might not extend much farther. From Devenski’s perspective, if he’s going to get squeezed down the depth chart, perhaps now is a good time to open himself up to other clubs rather than accept another stint in Syracuse.

Whatever the reasoning, he is now in DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Mets could take five days to explore trade interest. Around his optional assignments, Devenski has tossed 11 1/3 innings big league innings for the Mets this year, allowing three earned runs on seven hits, three walks and two hit-by-pitches while striking out nine. He has also thrown 25 Triple-A innings with a 4.32 ERA, 17.2% strikeout rate, 4% walk rate and 50.6% ground ball rate.

Devenski’s best seasons came with the Astros almost a decade ago. More recently, his results have been up and down. He had an encouraging showing in 2023, split between the Angels and Rays. That year, he tossed 42 1/3 innings with a 4.46 ERA, 24.3% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. The Rays re-signed him for 2024 but Devenski posted a 6.75 ERA last year. He was released by July and was stuck in the minors the rest of the year.

Photo courtesy of Gregory Fisher, Imagn Images

Mets Willing To Trade From Infield Depth

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The Mets are willing to trade from their major league infield as they look for help elsewhere on the roster, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. Obviously, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso aren’t going anywhere. Nor are they likely to trade Jeff McNeil, who is having a strong season as a multi-positional contributor. If a trade comes together, it’d involve one of their four younger big league infielders: Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos or Luisangel Acuña.

Those players have found themselves in trade rumors at least dating back to last offseason. The 25-year-old Baty has long seemed the likeliest to move, as the former top prospect has not become the offensive player that many evaluators envisioned. The lefty hitter owns a .236/.292/.419 batting line across 251 plate appearances this season. While those are the best numbers of his career, they’re essentially league average. Baty has gotten there in rather streaky fashion. He had a terrible April that led the Mets to briefly demote him back to Triple-A once McNeil returned from a season-opening injured list stint. Baty hit well upon being recalled in May, tanked in June, and is back to swinging the bat well of late.

A natural third baseman, Baty has added second base to his defensive repertoire this season. He has graded as a league average second baseman with slightly above-average marks at the hot corner in a small sample. Baty has been a useful player overall, but he still hasn’t established himself as a first-division regular. He won’t reach arbitration eligibility for another year after this one and is under club control through the 2029 season.

Vientos, also 25, seemed to establish himself as a core piece last season. He connected on 27 homers with an excellent .266/.322/.516 slash line in the regular season. Vientos hit .327 and added five more longballs in 13 playoff games. He hasn’t gotten going offensively at any point this year. The righty hitter has slumped to a .221/.275/.352 showing in 265 plate appearances. Vientos’ average exit velocity and hard contact rate aren’t much different than they were last season, but his bat speed is down a tick and his actual power production has plummeted.

That’s particularly concerning for a player who doesn’t have much in his game to fall back upon. Vientos isn’t a great athlete and he’s a well below-average defensive third baseman. He should ideally be at first base, but Alonso’s presence means that won’t happen for at least the rest of this season (and potentially beyond if the Mets re-sign Alonso in free agency again). He’s working primarily as a designated hitter while Jesse Winker is battling back problems. Vientos is controllable for another four seasons, so trading him now would be a sell-low move, but he’s out of minor league options and not providing much value at the moment.

Mauricio, a toolsy switch-hitter with a very aggressive approach, is in his first season back from an ACL tear. He’s hitting .218/.288/.376 with four homers in 31 big league contests. The 6’4″ infielder is working as the primary third baseman with Baty mostly at the keystone. The 24-year-old Mauricio would exhaust his final option year if he spends another three days in Triple-A this season. He’s controllable for at least four more seasons.

Acuña, 23, has been a light-hitting utility player. He’s hitting .240/.293/.286 without a home run in 169 trips to the plate. His .260/.303/.356 slash line in 640 career Triple-A plate appearances isn’t much better. He’s the best defender of this group who has only moved off shortstop in deference to Lindor. Maybe another team feels there’s enough defensive ability that Acuña could be a low-end regular at shortstop. He has an option remaining but — similar to Mauricio — would exhaust it if he spends another two days in Triple-A this year. That probably played into the team’s decision to recall him just before the All-Star Break. He’s only really getting opportunities against left-handed pitching, so his current usage doesn’t give him much opportunity to improve at the plate.

With the possible exception of Baty, each of these players probably has less trade value than they would have had over the winter. There’d nevertheless still be teams interested in all of them, but they’re not likely to headline a deal for an impact player. Sammon writes that the Mets are generally prioritizing bullpen upgrades, and it’d hardly be a surprise if someone from this group intrigued a team like the Pirates (David Bednar, Dennis Santana) or Rockies (Jake Bird) that is shopping relief pitching and in need of short-term offensive help.

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