Mets Sell-Offs 2017/2018 Retrospective

As of 12:56 PM on 7/27 it is still unclear what the Mets are going to do at the deadline. They definitely are not buyers. They are looking to move some players but it is not certain if they will get the players they want in return (Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, Edwin Diaz) or if any team actually wants the players (Todd Frazier, Adeiny Hechavarria, Wilson Ramos).

Over the last two seasons the Mets have been sellers at the deadline, and did it in the worst way possible. First, they never fully committed, so their most valuable players who could bring talent back in a trade (like Wheeler last year) weren’t moved. Second, they seemed to get weird returns (looking at Wahl and Toffey for Familia) which didn’t match other trades. Finally, the Mets acted mostly on salary relief, so even if they could demand more in a trade, they didn’t, got money back but then didn’t reinvest the money in the team.

So who did the Mets bring back?

Drew Smith – Out of all the relievers the Mets got in 2017 and 2018, Smith is probably the best one and was going to factor into the bullpen this year. Smith is currently out from TJ and was sorely missed as the bullpen fell apart in 2019. Last year he had a 3.54 ERA in 28.0 innings, more experienced than most other pitchers on this list in the majors.

AJ Ramos – The Mets in 2017 couldn’t even getting selling right, and acquired AJ Ramos to compete for the closer spot in 2018. He ended up performing terribly and is still a free agent

Jamie Callahan – Jamie was the first player traded for in 2017 to make his major league debut (same season!) and he posted a 4.05 ERA in a limited 6.2 innings of work. He was granted free agency last year and is currently with the Giants.

Gerson Bautista – Acquired in the same trade as Jamie and Stephen, Gerson threw the ball hard. But struggled with location. In a limited 4.1 innings with the Mets last year he posted a 12.46 ERA and a 3.000 WHIP. He was traded this past off season with Justin Dunn and Jared Kelenic. With the Mariners, Bautista has pitched 7.0 innings posting a 10.29 ERA and 2.429 WHIP.

Stephen Nogosek – The last part of the Addison Reed trade, Stephen finally made his major league debut this year. In limited work, he has a 10.80 ERA over 6.2 innings.

Ryder Ryan – There is hope for Ryder Ryan as he continues to chug along in the minors. Currently with Binghamton he has a 4.30 ERA and 1.330 WHIP in 29.1 innings of work. He was just reactivated to the roster.

Will Toffey – The third basemen acquired in the Familia trade and is still with the organization. He is currently hitting .226/.352/.346 (.698 OPS) with the Rumble Ponies in 70 games and 261 PA’s.

Bobby Wahl – The pitcher the Mets got in the Familia trade. He turned heads when Mets fans discovered he had thoracic outlet surgery, the same one that Matt Harvey had. His time with the Mets was limited as he was traded this off-season for Keon Broxton. Wahl immediately tore his ACL with his new team. Broxton was traded to the Orioles after a poor showing with the Mets for international slot money. The Mets also resigned Familia in the off-season. It was an odd trade to say the least.

Franklyn Kilome – The largest prospect name the Mets got last year was Kilome from the Phillies for Cabrera. Kilome had TJ last October so we’ll have to wait to see how he is after comes back.