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Mets Acquire Miguel Castro From Orioles

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The New York Mets swung another deal just before the trade deadline, acquiring Miguel Castro from the Orioles, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). The Orioles will receive southpaw Kevin Smith, per Robert Murray (via Twitter). In addition, the Mets will be sending a player to be named later or cash to Baltimore, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

The Mets completed a flurry of deals at the last minute, also acquiring catcher Robinson Chirinos and third baseman Todd Frazier from the Rangers. In Castro, the Mets are getting another power arm from the right side to help out late in games. The 25-year-old owns a 4.02 ERA/3.71 FIP across 16 appearances this season. He strikeout to walk numbers have blown up in the 15 2/3 innings he’s logged this year with 13.8 K/9 to 2.9 BB/9. Those numbers are far better than his career norms, so at least some regression is to be expected. With just another month to go in the season, the Mets are betting the overall profile holds up.

Castro was set to make $1.05MM before prorating for the shortened season in his first season of arbitration eligibility. The Mets will retain his rights for two more seasons after 2020. Given the injury to Dellin Betances and Edwin Diaz’s struggles since joining the Mets, Castro figures to see some high-leverage opportunities over the final month of the season. Retaining his control for two years beyond this season is a win for the Mets as well. They have continually sought bullpen reinforcements in recent seasons.

Smith was the Mets’ 12th-ranked prospect per Baseball America and MLB.com. The 6’5″ Smith spent 2019 between High-A and Double-A tossing 117 innings across 23 starts with a 3.23 ERA. That showing prompted Smith to jump up the Mets prospect boards before the start of 2020. Smith, 23, could be given a look as early as this season, given the trend of debuting youngsters we’re seeing throughout baseball, but it’s more likely Smith stays in the development pool for now.

The Orioles sent a number of pitchers out in trades before the deadline, also dealing Mychal Givens to the Rockies and Tommy Milone to the Braves. They continue to rebuild under second-year GM Mike Elias.

Mets Acquire Robinson Chirinos, Todd Frazier

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The Mets have acquired catcher Robinson Chirinos and infielder Todd Frazier in a pair of trades with the Rangers, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (Twitter links).  Texas will receive a player to be named later in return for Chirinos, as per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link).  The Rangers have officially announced the deals, revealing that they will also get a player to be named later for Frazier, and some money will be sent to New York to complete the Chirinos deal — Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported that those cash considerations will total $360K.

Chirinos has been bothered by an ankle injury for much of the season, and eventually had a 10-day stint on the injured list to fully recover before returning to action last week.  It’s safe to assume that Chirinos’ dreadful .119/.224/.143 slash line over 49 PA is at least partially the result of that ankle problem, as the 36-year-old backstop has been a much more potent hitter over the last six seasons with the Rangers and Astros.  Chirinos hit .235/.331/.445 with 84 homers over 1953 plate appearances from 2014-19.

Anything close to that type of production would be a nice boon for the Mets, who have received little from Wilson Ramos at the plate this year.  With Tomas Nido on the IL, the Mets were thin on options behind the plate, and now could use both Chirinos and Ramos in something of a timeshare in September.

Chirinos could also be on the Mets’ radar for 2021, as the catcher has a $6.5MM club option on his services for next season ($1MM buyout).  It’s a fair price based on his past track record, though Chirinos will need to get on track at the plate or else the Mets might decline to exercise that option and seek a less-expensive catcher on the open market.  (Or, speculatively, maybe a much more expensive catcher if a change in ownership means the Mets have more dollars to spend on big-ticket talent like J.T. Realmuto.)

After playing for the Mets in 2018-19, Frazier makes his return to Queens after hitting .241/.322/.380 over 121 PA with Texas this season.  Frazier ended up playing almost every day with the Rangers, mostly at first base due to Danny Santana’s injury problems and Ronald Guzman spending much of the season at the team’s alternate training site.  Frazier also saw some time at third base, and he’ll provide the Mets with some depth and a right-handed bench bat at both corner infield positions.  Of note, J.D. Davis has been hampered over the last couple of games with a minor hip problem, so Frazier’s addition could be a particular depth add for third base if Davis has to miss any significant time.

Latest On Christian Vazquez

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1:47pm: The Mets-Vazquez talk “is overblown,” Rosenthal hears.

12:19pm: The Mets are showing interest in Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez, per reports from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com) and Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

While the Mets have gotten off to a subpar 15-19 start, they’re nonetheless in the playoff race in a wide-open National League. And catcher is one of the areas they’re looking to upgrade, as Heyman reports that they’re hoping to at least add depth behind the plate. The club was previously in on Jason Castro before the Padres acquired him from the Angels on Sunday, according to Heyman.

Mets catchers have collectively logged middling offensive numbers this year, largely because starter Wilson Ramos is amid one of the worst offensive years of his career. On the other hand, the normally light-hitting Tomas Nido has posted impressive production, though his success has come over a paltry 26 trips to the plate.

With Ramos likely to become a free agent after the season (New York has a $10MM option or a $1.5MM buyout decision), the Mets could be in the market for a new No. 1 backstop during the winter. In acquiring Vazquez, though, they’d seemingly remove the need to pursue catchers in  the offseason. Vazquez, after all, is controllable next season for $6MM and has a $7MM option (or a $250K buyout) for 2022. As such, there may not be any urgency for Boston to move Vazquez, but the out-of-contention club is at least open to it.

Vazquez, who turned 30 on Aug. 21, hasn’t hit much since his career began in 2014. He seemed to turn a corner in that regard last year with a .276/.320/.477 line and 23 home runs in 521 plate appearances, but he has slumped to a .252/.286/.411 mark with four homers in 112 PA this season. At the very least, though, Vazquez is an accomplished defender – one who has thrown out a whopping 40 percent of would-be base thieves this season and during his career.

Edwin Diaz Drawing Trade Interest

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As clubs throughout the league look to bolster their bullpens, the Mets have received calls on right-hander Edwin Diaz’s availability, tweets SNY’s Andy Martino. However, the Mets have continually rebuffed offers to this point. ESPN’s Jeff Passan further reports that Diaz could be had, but teams have been making weak offers in an attempt to buy low. Both Martino and Passan indicate that the Mets are loath to sell low on an arm of Diaz’s caliber — particularly given the extraordinary price they paid to acquire him from the Mariners.

The 26-year-old Diaz is sitting on an impressive 2.77 ERA through 13 innings and has struck out a ridiculous 28 of the 60 batters he’s faced in 2020. However, Diaz has also walked eight batters, hit another and served up a pair of homers in that small sample of work. Add in last year’s ghastly season — 5.59 ERA in 58 frames — and it’s not surprising to see clubs hoping to get a deal on the flamethrowing righty.

In Diaz’s three full seasons with the Mariners, he pitched to a collective 2.64 ERA with a 2.56 FIP, 14.2 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and 0.94 HR/9. Along the way, he racked up 109 saves and gave the M’s 191 innings out of the ’pen. While he’s still missing bats at an elite rate — his 16.1 K/9 as a Met is actually an improvement over his Mariners rate — Diaz has seen his walk rate increase and his HR/9 mark soar to 2.15. He’s blown 10 saves in 71 innings as a Met after blowing just 12 in 191 frames with Seattle.

Even with Diaz’s questionable control thus far in 2020, though, the early results do have the makings of a bounceback effort. His 98.3 mph average fastball is stronger than ever, and Diaz’s 21.5 percent swinging-strike rate is not only a personal best but would be the third-best mark of any reliever in a single season over the past decade. With that context, just as it’s easy to see why clubs would try to low-ball the Mets, it’s easy to see why the Mets don’t feel inclined to take a mediocre return.

Diaz’s 2020 salary clocks in at $5.1MM — prorated to $1.84MM — and he’s still controlled for another two seasons beyond the current campaign. His outrageous strikeout totals will only further drive up his arbitration price, as will any saves he accrues, although he’s only picked up two of those so far in the current season.

Mets Select Hunter Strickland; Juan Lagares Elects Free Agency

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The Mets have selected right-hander Hunter Strickland and optioned fellow righty Drew Smith, Tim Healey of Newsday was among those to report. Meanwhile, outfielder Juan Lagares has rejected an outright assignment and elected free agency.

The hard-throwing, 31-year-old Strickland is returning to the Mets exactly four weeks after they outrighted him off their roster Aug. 3. The move came after Strickland posted 2 1/3 disastrous innings across three appearances, during which he yielded four runs (three earned) on five hits. But Smith hasn’t been any better of late, as he has surrendered six runs (five earned) on six hits over 4 1/3 frames this month. Smith suffered a loss against the Yankees on Sunday when Gary Sanchez hit an eighth-inning grand slam off him.

Lagares was in his second stint with the Mets, but the club designated him for assignment Aug. 28 after he made two appearances and didn’t record an at-bat. The light-hitting, well-regarded defender, 31, will now return to the open market.

Latest On Mets' Deadline Plans

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  • The Mets’ deadline wish list includes a catcher and pitching (both starting and relieving) help, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets.  Perhaps in a related item, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal writes that the Red Sox have been “doing background on Mets minor leaguers,” which could hint at a potential trade.  Rosenthal figures Christian Vazquez would be a natural fit to address the Mets’ catching needs, and we’ve already heard that the Sox have discussed Vazquez with the Rays in recent days.  Speculatively, such Red Sox hurlers as Martin Perez, Matt Barnes, or Ryan Brasier could potentially be on the Mets’ radar, though the Sox just lost potential trade chip Nathan Eovaldi to the injured list.

Mets Place Steven Matz, Dellin Betances On 10-Day IL

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The Mets have placed relievers Steven Matz and Dellin Betances on the 10-day injured list, per various reporters (including Joel Sherman of the New York Post). Matz is dealing with left shoulder discomfort, while Betances has right lat tightness. Fellow relievers Drew Smith and Franklyn Kilome have been recalled from the alternate training site in their stead. Additionally, right-hander Ariel Jurado is up as the 29th man for today’s doubleheader against the Yankees.

Matz, recently moved to the bullpen after a rough start to the year in the rotation, left his first relief appearance after only one inning. It’s been a difficult season for Betances, as well. In 10.1 relief innings across 13 games, he’s allowed seven runs (all earned) on seven walks against eight strikeouts. His fastball velocity, meanwhile, is down five miles per hour from his peak with the Yankees. While both of these pitchers have had injury troubles in the past, it’s fair to wonder how big a role the Mets’ schedule played in these cases. New York was forced to take a five-day hiatus following a pair of positive COVID-19 tests in the organization last weekend.

Mets Add Brett Baty To Player Pool

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  • The Mets added third baseman Brett Baty, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Baty, 20, was the No. 12 pick in the 2019 draft and is considered to be among the organization’s top prospects. He divided last year between rookie and Low-A ball, where he batted .234/.368/.452 with seven home runs in 228 plate appearances. Now that Baty’s in the fold, the Mets have all of their top five prospects in the player pool — including Andres Gimenez in the Majors — as DiComo points out.

Steve Cohen In Exclusive Negotiations To Purchase Mets

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The Mets appear to be close to finding a new owner. Steve Cohen is now engaged in exclusive negotiations to buy the club, David Faber of CNBC reports. Alex Rodriguez, who has also been vying for the team, issued a statement to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic conceding defeat.

“The consortium led by Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez has informed the Mets that they are no longer pursuing the acquisition of the team,” Rodriguez said. “The consortium, which included Vincent Viola, Mike Repole, and Marc Lore had submitted a fully funded offer at a record price for the team which was supported by binding debt commitments from JP Morgan and equity commitment letters from credit worthy partners. The consortium said that they are disappointed to not be part of the revitalization of New York City and provide an exhilarating experience for the fans and wish the Wilpon family and the entire Mets organization well.”

Cohen, the Rodriguez-Lopez team and the Josh Harris-David Blitzer duo were the finalists to land the Mets, but current owners Fred Wilpon and Jeff Wilpon selected Cohen as the favorite, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. It’s “believed” the Rodriguez group was willing to offer as much as $2.3 billion, per Faber, but they’ll lose out to Cohen.

While Cohen hasn’t reached the finish line yet, his approximate net worth of $15 billion, long-running pursuit of the franchise and his status as a minority owner of the Mets seem to make it unlikely he’ll fall short. Cohen’s previous attempt to buy the Mets fell apart over the winter, but the Wilpons’ urgency to sell the team has reportedly increased since then, owing in part to the financial losses they’ve taken as a result of the pandemic-shortened season with no fans in the stands. Now, any new owner would lose upward of $100MM this year and in 2021, Faber reports.

Cohen’s collapsed deal with the Mets included a five-year sale plan in which he’d assume 80 percent of the reins in 2025, but he’d take over as the team’s control person immediately in this instance, Faber writes. It’s unclear what a new agreement could look like in terms of cost or whether Cohen would receive any part of the coveted SNY Network in a sale. Cohen bid $2.6 billion before, but it’s now likely he’ll land the franchise for less, according to Faber.

Mets Designate Walker Lockett For Assignment, Activate David Peterson

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The Mets have designated right-hander Walker Lockett for assignment, Tim Healey of Newsday was among those to report. His roster spot will go to lefty David Peterson, who’s coming off the 10-day injured list.

In what could go down as his final Mets appearance, Lockett threw two scoreless innings to pick up a win over the Yankees on Friday. For the most part, though, success has eluded Lockett as a Met. Since they acquired him from the Indians in a deal for catcher Kevin Plawecki before 2019, the 26-year-old Lockett has recorded an 8.16 ERA/5.96 FIP with 6.59 K/9 and 2.51 BB/9 in 30 1/3 innings. Lockett did pitch well last year at Triple-A (3.66 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 over 59 frames), but as someone who’s out of minor league options, he may have a harder time latching on elsewhere in the next week.

Meanwhile, the return of Peterson will be a welcome one for the Mets, as the rookie began his career with a 2.91 ERA/4.03 FIP and 7.06 K/9 against 3.32 BB/9 across 21 2/3 innings before going to the IL on Aug. 18 with shoulder fatigue. Peterson has been the Mets’ top complement to ace Jacob deGrom so far this season.

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