Mets Acquire Light Hitting Outfielder as Rivals Get Better

The trade deadline was a real struggle for the New York Mets, who -- in the eyes of many -- may have overpaid for a 36-year old part time outfielder in Darin Ruff, and waited til the last second to address their biggest need of all: bullpen. 

The Mets sent J.D. Davis and minor league left-hander Nick Zwack, right-hander Carson Seymour and Thomas Szapucki. Many have pointed out that that Zwack was putting up great numbers down in the minors. He was 6-2 with a 2.18 ERA in two Class-A stops, and had a velocity in the upper 90s. 

Seymour was also impressive down on the farm, posting an ERA of 2.76 in 18 games. 

Davis was a great teammate on this Mets club. A veteran player, who spent 4 seasons in Queens, Davis broke out in 2019 as an everyday player when he hit over .300 and basted 22 homers. He never reached those same heights again the last three seasons. This year Davis struggled to find playing time, and was hitting only .238 with four homers and 21 RBI. 

His days in New York would have been likely numbered at the end of the season. Still his presence in the clubhouse will be missed. 

The Mets instead get a player in Ruf who has really struggled with the bat this season, and is not a prolific hitter to begin with. Ruf is hitting only .216 on the season, although he does have better power numbers than Davis this year, with 11 homers and 38 RBI. The Mets got Ruf because his splits against lefties is much better than righties (.252 vs. .191). 

In short he is a right-handed version of Daniel Voglebach. That's not a great improvement, and lot to give up for such a hitter at 36-years old. 

The final move the Mets made was swinging a deal with the Cubs for reliever Mychal Givens for minor league reliever Saul Gonzalez. Givens is a solid veteran pitcher. He has a 2.66 ERA in over 40 innings of work this year for the Cubs. He will help lengthen a bullpen that needs arms badly. Givens is excellent against both left-handed and right-handed hitters, and is familiar pitching under Buck Showalter, during their time in Baltimore. 

The moves comes as the Phillies and Braves loaded up on talent. 

The Phillies acquired former Met Noah Syndergaard and outfilder Brandon Marsh from the Angels, and reliever David Robertson from the Cubs. Many believed the Mets would be in on Robertson, but the Phillies swung a deal for him. 

Meanwhile the Braves added former Angel closer Raisel Iglesias to bolster their bullpen. That move comes a day after Atlanta extended Austin Reilly with a 10-year contract.