Mets deal goes south in a hurry As Cano, Diaz struggle, players they traded away thrive
The blowback on Brodie Van Wagenen’s blockbuster with the Mariners has mostly centered on the headliners: the players the Mets received have been awful, and they came at the high price of two highly rated prospects. Robinson Cano appears to be aging faster than initially anticipated, and Edwin Diaz seemingly can’t get out of an inning without giving up the lead, no matter how many runs his offense has provided.
Forget about the prospects for a second. Just in the short term, the trade is even worse than that.
The full trade involved Cano and Diaz going to Flushing, and Anthony Swarzak, Jay Bruce, Jarred Kelenic, Justin Dunn, and Gerson Bautista to Seattle.
With a league-leading 21 blown saves and a swollen 5.57 bullpen ERA, the Mets’ most glaring issue this season is their bullpen. As it turns out, they traded away one of the best relievers in baseball when they thought they were getting one in return.
Swarzak struggled with the Mariners and ended up getting moved back into the NL East. In 17 appearances with the Atlanta Braves, the right-hander has a 0.52 ERA striking out 10.9 batters per nine innings. Diaz has a 5.50 ERA.
The Amazin’s lineup is not really the problem with this year’s team, but there’s a gaping hole in the middle of the lineup. Cano’s five years and $64 million remaining on his contract means that the frugal Wilpons are loathe to let the team take him out of the three-hole. When the Mets traded for Cano, they thought they were receiving a veteran bat who could crawl out of bed and be a middle of the order presence.
They actually traded that guy away.
Like Swarzak, Bruce also found his way back into the NL East with the Phillies. The 32-year-old has mashed 24 homers and driven in 57 runs to go with a .867 OPS in 75 games for the Mariners and Phillies.
New York could only dream of Cano producing at that level. The second baseman has hit just four homers with 18 RBI to go with a putrid .646 OPS.
The Mets were begging to get Bruce’s two years and $26 million salary off their hands, only to take on a contract that is three years longer and comes with far less production.
The players the Mets figured would be throw-ins have performed at heights Diaz and Cano aren’t even in the stratosphere of. Without the prospects, the trade is a disaster. With them, it proves that Van Wagenen is a true Met, putting the trade in Kazmir-Zambrano territory or worse.
Kelenic is raking in the Mariners’ system. He earned a promotion to high Class-A, slashing .293/.373/ .550 with 15 homers, 41 RBI, and 12 stolen bases in 75 games between two-levels in the minors.
Baseball America described Kelenic as, “Armed with a sense of confidence that backs up a prodigious skillset, Kelenic has moved up the prospect ranks as quickly as any player in the minors. His ability to hit for a high average with plus power has come as advertised.” Kelenic is ranked as the No. 8 prospect in all of baseball in Keith Law’s updated top 50 rankings.
Justin Dunn has had his fair share of success in the minors as well. The 23-year-old is 5-3 with a 3.82 ERA striking out an impressive 11.5 batters per nine innings. “Worst trade in Mets history” is a nearly impossible bar to summit. But if Diaz’s slider keeps hogging the plate and Kelenic continues to soar through the minors, Van Wagenen has kept his promise and built a title contender.