THE BOSTON REED SOX
RELIEVER DEALT
DENVER — Addison Reed brought the Mets exactly what they needed in a trade-deadline deal: young, power bullpen arms.
The Mets’ stockpiling of relievers continued with a deal Monday that sent Reed to the Red Sox for minor league relievers Stephen Nogosek, Jamie Callahan and Gerson Bautista. It came after last week’s trade that sent Lucas Duda to the Rays for minor league reliever Drew Smith before Marlins closer AJ Ramos arrived to the Mets in a surprise deal the following day.
But the Mets will enter August with most notably Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson and Asdrubal Cabrera still on the team, after failing to find satisfactory deals involving the three veterans.
The Mets are hopeful all three will clear waivers in August, providing an opening for potential trades. A major league source indicated the limited market for hitters, coupled with the money still owed to Bruce, Granderson and Cabrera proved to be a hurdle in finding trades.
The Mets have a club option on Cabrera for next season. Bruce is headed to free agency after the season, but the Mets can extend him a qualifying offer that would allow the club to receive draftpick compensation if he signs with another team.
The Dodgers, Rays and Brewers were among the other teams with interest in Reed — who is unsigned beyond this season — but the Mets chose the package offered by Boston.
Callahan, the Red Sox No. 23 prospect, according to MLB.com. was pitching at Triple-A and could be a candidate for a September call up to the Mets, according to a source. Nogosek was the highest-rated of the group, ranked as the Red Sox No. 18 prospect, and has spent the season in Single-A. Bautista, who was ranked as the Red Sox No. 28 prospect, has also spent the season at Single-A.
“I think looking at 2018 we felt the bullpen was an area we needed to address and with all of these deals we have taken steps to do that,” general manager Sandy Alderson said.
“They all for the most part throw mid-90s and up and we simply didn’t have arms in that range over the last couple of years given some of the trades we made to be competitive in 2015 and ’16, so replenishing those arms I think we’re happy about that.”