The MLB non waiver trade deadline has passed. The Yanks got better: the Mets, meh.
Like the NFL draft, it’s crazy to evaluate trades right after they happen. Some of the most obvious no-brainers turn out quite the opposite after a few years.Those prospects you never heard of become stars and the can’t miss vets fail to put you over the top.
Anyway, here goes.
The Mets lose Addison Reed, Lucas Duda and two minor league arms They gain AJ Ramos and four relievers who throw hard but are still in the minors. Since they didn’t plan to re-sign Duda, at least they got something in return. But they failed to move Cabrera, Walker, or Bruce. Cabrera and Walker have no future with the team. They should tender Bruce in the off season. If he agrees, great. If he turns that down or won’t take an extension, at least they get draft compensation.
Did Alderson blow it by not getting something now for those players? You can’t say for sure unless you know what he was offered, if anything. The immediate issue is that they need to play Flores, Rosario, and Smith a lot to see what they have. If they insist on keeping the dead end vets in the lineup, they waste an opportunity to get a leg up on 2018.
The Yanks are better in the short term and if Gray stays healthy, they have a star for another two years in what should be his prime. They give up two injured players and Mateo, who was blocked by Gregorious and Torres. This move gives them a great shot at winning the AL East and if Tanaka, Severino and Gray are hot down the stretch, they can win post season series as well. Combined with the moves last week, they now have depth in the rotation to go along with a strong pen. If Judge can snap out of his funk, look out.
On a sad note, we’ll miss Sam Shepard. While writing this, I was listening to Brownsville Girl, a song he co-wrote with Dylan. Shepard was a great playwright, author and a fine actor. Among his many roles, I loved him as Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff and as the vet love interest in Diane Keaton’s Baby Boom. A wonderful talent who spent a lot of his years with Jessica Lange. A pretty terrific life.
