The Mets completed a late night trade with the division rival Nationals to acquire former nemesis Jesse Winker for minor league right hander Tyler Stuart. While it is not the first trade that David Stearns and the Mets front office have pulled off in the 2024 trade deadline cycle, to this point Winker is the biggest name acquired by New York.
The History of Jesse Winker and the Mets
Winker is no stranger to Citi Field or Mets fans.
There are players in the league that fans can’t stand, until that player is on their team. Winker is one of those types of players. He is the MLB equivalent of T.J. McConnell of the Indiana Pacers. Annoying to other teams’ players and fans, but a favorite to his own fans.
Rewind to May of 2019. The Mets faced the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field, down to their final out trailing 1-0. Brandon Nimmo hit a fly ball to left field that was going to land in foul territory. Winker made a sliding catch to end the game, and waved to Mets fans on the way off the field.
Fast forward to August of 2021, when fans are back in the stands post-Covid. Mets fans had no love lost for Winker as he returned to Citi Field against the Mets. Some Mets fans made a sign letting him know what they thought of him. Instead of taking offense to the sign, Winker loved it and threw an autographed ball to the fans.
Now, Winker will get to see what the Flushing Faithful are like when he is on their side. He obviously passes the test of having thick skin, and will be able to handle everything that comes with playing in a big market like New York. It should not take long for him to become a fan favorite, with the way he plays the game as well as the way he interacts with fans.
What Type of Player are the Mets Getting
Winker is a lefty outfielder that has been playing left field for the Nationals. After receiving an invite to Spring Training from Washington this season, he has made the most of his opportunity. He spent the first five years of his career in Cincinnati (2017-2021), and one year each with the Seattle Mariners (2022), Milwaukee Brewers (2023) and the beginning of this year with the Nationals. He was an All-Star as a member of the Reds in 2021.
This season he has played in 101 of the Nationals’ 105 games. The most games he has played in a season was 136, in 2022 with Seattle. His ability to stay on the field through the rest of the season will be something to watch. The amount of games he has played historically is due to a mix of not being great against left-handed pitching, and injuries.
His average this season is .257, which is close to his career average of .263. He has rebounded nicely from two off years, where he batted .219 in 2022 with Seattle and .199 in 2023 with Milwaukee (in only 61 games).
Winker has done well getting on base, including through walks. He is tied for fifth in the National League with 84 walks. That has elevated his OPS to .793. It is interesting to note that Winker was acquired following a 4-0 loss to Atlanta where the Mets did not walk once but struck out 14 times.
There is some pop in Winker’s bat, too. He comes to the Mets with 11 home runs on the season. His career high was 24, which he achieved with the Reds in 2021.
Winker has developed a new wrinkle in his game this season as well. The Nationals have used him as a stolen base threat. Coming into 2024, he had three stolen bases in his career. This year, he has 14.
His fielding prowess will not challenge either Nimmo or Harrison Bader for the Gold Glove. He profiles as a below-average fielder. So far this season, his fielding percentage is .982. Consequently, he can also spell J.D. Martinez at the DH spot in the lineup.
Where Does Winker Fit with the Mets?
The Mets will need to play a bit of musical chairs to fit Winker into the lineup, whether everyday or in a platoon role. They already have a bunch of outfielders, with Starling Marte continuing to rehab to return. As of last week, he was going to begin a running program soon. His ultimate return date is still TBD.
Winker is a lefty bat, which is what D.J. Stewart was supposed to be in the outfield. If anyone should be nervous about this trade, it is Stewart. His role on the team becomes more of a question mark, and he was optioned to Triple A on Sunday.
Additionally, Bader has been fighting an ankle injury over the last few days. While it initially did not appear that he would end up on the injured list, this dynamic bears watching as Winker enters the fold. Winker can provide protection if Bader’s injury turns into something more substantial. In that scenario, Nimmo would play in Center Field, and Winker in Left Field.
Winker can also play in Right Field while Marte rehabs, or in a platoon situation if/when he does return. Jeff McNeil and Tyrone Taylor are currently handling those duties. Winker’s arrival could push McNeil back to the infield, in particular second base. However, Jose Iglesias has played second base very well for the Mets, and has ignited the culture of the team with his energy and OMG popularity as Candelita.
What the Mets Gave Up
Tyler Stuart is a Double-A pitcher who was a sixth-round pick of the Mets in 2022, out of Southern Mississippi. Stuart was pitching for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.
Stuart has been with Binghamton all season, and had pitched to a 3-7 record and 3.96 ERA in 17 starts. He had tossed one complete game, and struck out 90 batters, compared to only 20 walks.
According to MLB.com, Stuart was the Mets 17th ranked prospect and was expected to make his big league debut at some point this season.
As a 6 foot, 9 inch right hander with good control (evidenced by the low amount of walks), Stuart has been working on rounding out his stable of pitches to get a look as a starter. It will be interesting to see what the Nationals do with him, as he likely has a quicker path to the majors as a reliever (note, he was a reliever at Southern Miss).
Stats from espn.com, baseball-reference.com, mlb.com and milb.com.
Use our promo code : WeLikeSportz for 10% off!
WE LIKE SPORTZ SHOW 
Leave a comment