Last month, on July 31st, the New York Mets were able to acquire a few pitchers to bulk up their struggling bullpen. One month after these acquisitions, many pitchers or players have had either positive or negative effects on the pen. It’s time to grade each trade a month after their acquisition.
Mets’ Trade Deadline Acquisition GradesÂ
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Gregory Soto: A
The Mets came into the deadline needing left-handed pitching- thus, they acquired Gregory Soto. Soto, so far, has done what he has asked, allowing just 2 earned runs in his first 11 appearances. Acquiring Soto and giving him a less important role was a great idea, but David Stearns. So far, Soto has been great at getting through the earlier innings and allowing certain pitchers to shut things down later.
Tyler Rogers: A
At first, it seemed as if the Tyler Rogers trade was too much, as the Mets gave up several prospects and a reliable reliever. However, as time has passed, Rogers has remained a very reliable reliever, often pitching the 7th or 8th inning. Rogers so far has a 1.88 ERA with the Mets in 14 appearances. Simply put, the Mets have got precisely what they paid for, a pitcher who can pitch often while limiting the damage.
Rogers’ value to the bullpen is very high as well, as several relievers have still been rather unreliable or have landed on the IL. In the end, it is probably a great thing that Rogers is in Flushing.
Ryan Helsley: D
Ryan Helsley is one of the worst acquisitions so far this season. The former league-leading closer has allowed 14 runs in 11 appearances. Helsley also has four blown saves while walking seven and striking out just 10. A 10.38 ERA has shown just how bad Helsley has done in transitioning from being the main closer to being a setup man for Edwin Diaz.
Helsley has been saved multiple times by Diaz, who has been absolutely dominant. The only reason why Helsley’s trade is not an F is that Helsley is still a great pitcher who is simply going through it. Helsley hasn’t attacked the strike zone, has been inconsistent velocity-wise, throwing between 95 MPH and 104. Helsley has not been himself, but he can still return to being himself.
For now, however, Helsley has probably lost the 8th inning and will need to earn this spot back. Without a consistent Helsley, the Mets will need to rely a lot on Diaz. All in all, though, Helsley can make the Mets’ bullpen the best in baseball with some good production.
Cedric Mullins: B
Contrary to popular belief, Cedric Mullins hasn’t done horribly in a Mets uniform so far. Mullins certainly hasn’t done too well either, only hitting one home run and hitting .242. Yet, at the same time, the Mets’ only capable center fielder, Tyrone Taylor, wasn’t cutting it and wouldn’t have been a very good player going into the postseason. Defensively, Taylor has done splendidly.
However, on the offensive side of things, the acquisition of Mullins definitely covers the Mets until next season. With the return of more players from the IL, the outfield position is suited for a postseason run.
As the season comes to a close, it will be interesting to see how the Mets cap things off in 2025. These acquisitions could make or break the Mets this year. With a deep postseason run last season, was that just a fluke, or will that lead to an even deeper run this season? Only time will tell. But for the remainder of the season, there is bound to be a lot of exciting moments for this team.
Main Image: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
