If Thursday felt like a bit of a letdown for Mets fans, it’s largely because David Stearns wowed them on Wednesday with deals for two elite relievers, making it seem the president of baseball operations was setting the stage for a spectacular trade deadline.
It didn’t quite rise to that level, as it turned out. Stearns did get a much-needed upgrade for center field in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles for Cedric Mullins on the final day, but that seemed to be a fallback deal after pursuing the potentially more impactful Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox.
And there was a case to be made that the Mets needed another starting pitcher, especially the way converted reliever Clay Holmes has seemed to wear down in recent weeks. But as the 6 p.m. deadline came and went, there was no indication the Mets got close to a trade to help their starting rotation.
So, no, it wasn’t a spectacular trade deadline, but it was a strong one for Stearns, as he made four trades, acquiring three relievers to transform a weak bullpen, and Mullins to likely be the, mostly, everyday center fielder.
Here are the grades, individual and overall…
TYLER ROGERS
This was the most surprising move, as no one expected the Giants to trade Rogers, and it’s potentially the most impactful. Helsley has a bigger name because he throws 100 mph and has been an All-Star closer for the St. Louis Cardinals, but for what the Mets needed most, a lockdown set-up guy, perhaps nobody has been better in baseball than Rogers in that role.
He’s durable, among the MLB leaders with 53 appearances, and has been for years. The right-hander has a sparkling 1.80 ERA and his dominance is mostly the result of deception, despite below-average velocity, as he gives up very little hard contact with his submarine delivery that befuddles hitters. According Statcast, Rogers is in the top four percent of all MLB pitchers in limiting hard contact. And he’s allowed a grand total of four walks in 50 innings.
This trade is also the only one to get pushback on social media, as some Mets fans think they gave up too much in prospects Drew Gilbert, Blade Tidwell, and reliever Jose Butto, especially considering Rogers can be a free agent after the season. However, scouts made the point that other prospects had surpassed Gilbert and Tidwell, notably outfielder Carson Benge and pitchers Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Jonah Tong.
In any case, this was a move Stearns absolutely had to make for a team trying to win a championship.
GRADE: A
RYAN HELSLEY
The surprise here was that the Mets got another elite reliever only hours after the Rogers trade, and the trade made it obvious that Stearns’ priority was to load up in the bullpen not only to lock down the late innings but also as a way of supporting a starting rotation that has lacked length for most of the season.
As a free agent after the season, Helsley was expected to be traded. One of the top closers in the majors the last few years, the right-hander is one of the hardest-throwers in the game, his fastball averaging just under 100 mph. And his slider is actually his best pitch, as the opposition is hitting .092 against it this season.
However, Helsley hasn’t been as dominant this season, at age 31, with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.386 WHIP, mostly because his fastball has been hit hard at times — the opposition is hitting .406 against it this season. However, he has been better lately, allowing one run in his last 11 appearances.
At his best Helsley can still be as overpowering as any reliever in the game. But he’ll need to command his fastball better to be that guy the rest of the way.
To get him the Mets gave up three minor leaguers, most notably infielder Jesus Baez, the No. 6-ranked prospect in SNY's preseason Top 30.
GRADE: A
CEDRIC MULLINS
Mullins is no longer the 30-30 guy who was such a dynamic center fielder in 2021 for the Orioles, but at age 30, he’s still a solid upgrade for the Mets, who were getting nothing offensively from Tyrone Taylor and only serviceable defense from Jeff McNeil.
How impactful Mullins can be for the Mets remains to be seen. His numbers for the season are rather pedestrian, hitting .229 with a .305 on-base percentage and a .738 OPS, but he did have a hot July, slashing .290/.346/.522/868. He doesn’t have the outstanding range he once did, but he’s still plenty athletic, as evidenced by his climbing-the-wall catch this week to rob a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays at Camden Yards.
It seemed clear the Mets’ top center field target was Robert for his potential impact offensively and defensively, but he also would have come with more risk, due to his history of injuries and underperformance. As a result, all indications are that the Mets felt the White Sox wanted too much in return and that an overpay wasn’t worth the gamble.
To get Mullins, also a free agent after the season, the Mets gave up three prospects, most notably Raimon Gomez, a right-hander who throws 100 mph but ranks only as No. 28 in SNY's preseason Top 30.
GRADE: B +
GREGORY SOTO
This was the first of the three trades for relievers, completed a week ago with the Orioles, and it’s important primarily because it gives the Mets a second left-hander in their pen to go with Brooks Raley, who is only a few weeks back from his long absence due to Tommy John surgery.
Soto has a big arm and strikeout stuff, averaging 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings, but he also had a 3.96 ERA for the O’s, due to a handful of bad outings and his penchant for walking too many hitters at times.
He dominates left-handed hitters, holding them to a .138 average this season, but has had a tougher time getting righth-anders out.
To get him, the Mets gave up expendable prospects Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster.
GRADE: B
OVERALL
The bottom line is Stearns addressed the Mets’ most glaring flaws, and did so effectively, especially in the bullpen, turning a weakness into what should be a strength. In fact, they could have one of the deepest and most dominant bullpens in the majors, loaded now with high-leverage relievers that will give Carlos Mendoza the ability to use quality arms like Reed Garrett and Ryne Stanek in the middle innings if necessary.
Still, it remains to be seen if Mullins can impact an offense that has been puzzlingly inconsistent this season (and just plain bad with runners in scoring position), or whether Stearns needed to do more in acquiring a bat.
And then there is Stearns’ decision not to add a starting pitcher. If Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea build themselves back up to where they’re going deeper into games again, and Holmes gets a second wind, the Mets’ rotation should be strong to the finish line.
Or there is the possibility that top prospects like Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat could produce if the need is there down the stretch.
But it does seem the Mets could have used another starter like Merrill Kelly, traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, to add some quality depth to the rotation, especially since they like to give their starters more than the typical four days' rest between starts.
It’s not a miss on Stearns’ part, to be sure, but it’s enough to ding his grade a little bit anyway.
GRADE: A-
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