The trade deadline has come and gone. The Mets were able to improve, with the team showing a patient and disciplined approach to transactions.
David Stearns did not wait until Deadline Day to make all of his deals. Leading up to the 30th, the Mets had already been active. In all, Stearns acquired four relief pitchers, a starting pitcher, and a solid lefty outfielder.
The headliners, which we wrote articles about, were Jesse Winker and Paul Blackburn. Winker will contribute in the outfield and potentially DH as a left-handed bat in the lineup. He brings some pop and discipline at the plate (high walk %). Winker is destined to be a fan favorite at Citi Field. Blackburn will slot into the starting rotation, and the Mets feel confident that he will stay healthy. He was an All-Star in 2022, and his addition became more important after Kodai Senga went down with another injury, in his first (and likely only) start of the season.
In addition to Winker and Blackburn, the Mets fortified their bullpen through the additions of Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek, Tyler Zuber, and Huascar Brazoban. Given the miles that have been put on the relievers’ arms this season, it was important to get reinforcements. Additional arms are on the way with the rehab of Reed Garett, Sean Reid-Foley, and Dedniel Nunez.
Importantly, Stearns did not give up any of the Mets top prospects. That is important as the team, notably Stearns and owner Steve Cohen, look to build a culture and tradition of lasting success. The team will be more disciplined moving forward, and having the top prospects still with the Mets enables them to make any necessary moves in the offseason when only Senga, David Peterson, and Blackburn are under team control. The Mets most recent captain, David Wright, approves.
Here are the by-game rundowns of the Twins series:
Game 1: Mets 15, Twins 2
The Mets offense was hitting on every cylinder in one of the biggest offensive outbursts of the season. They produced 15 runs on 17 hits against a former Mets farmhand. Jose Quintana provided a quality start as the benefactor of the offensive production.
Each batter to step to the plate for the Mets had at least one hit. Jeff McNeil and Luis Torrens each drove in three runs, and Pete Alonso had the only home run of the game for New York. Torrens had three hits in his four at-bats to raise his average on the season to .308. Two RBIs were contributed by each of Brandon Nimmo, J.D. Martinez, and Alonso. The team had eight hits in 17 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Quintana went six innings, giving up only one run on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts. The win evened his record at 6-6 and his ERA was lowered to 3.89. Jose Butto earned his second save of the season, going three innings and surrendering only one run. His season ERA stands at 2.47.
For Minnesota, Ryan Jeffers had a solo home run. Byron Buxton was two for two with an RBI. Manuel Margot and Max Kepler each had two hits, in addition to Buxton.
Former Mets prospect Simeon Woods Richardson took the mound for the Twins and was hit hard. Over 3.1 innings, Woods Richardson was charged with six runs on seven hits and three walks with two strikeouts. Cole Sands relieved him, and was not charged with any runs over the next 1.2 innings. Josh Staumont was next up, and he took five runs on the ledger in only 0.1 innings. Steven Okert tossed 0.2 scoreless, while Brock Stewart was charged with four runs over 0.2 innings.
Game 2: Mets 2, Twins 0
There was quite a different feel in this game, relative to the 17-run offensive output that the teams combined for in the first game. Sean Manaea put together a statement game for the Mets on Trade Deadline Day.
Hits were much rarer in Game Two of the series. Martinez was the only player on either squad that had multiple hits, going two for four with an RBI. Mark Vientos had a solo home run, his 15th of the season.
On the mound, Manaea was nothing short of dominant. Over seven innings, he shut out the Twins on only two hits. Manaea struck out a season-high 11 in picking up his seventh win of the season. His ERA stands at 3.50. Newcomer Stanek went the next 0.2 innings, before Edwin Díaz came on for a four-out save, his 13th of the season.
The Twins were only able to muster two hits on the day, by Carlos Santana and Brooks Lee. Following a strong first game of the series, Buxton struck out in all four of his at-bats. Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda struck out three times each.
David Festa started for the Twins. In his third start of the season, Festa went five innings, giving up two runs on three hits with a walk and six strikeouts. Following Festa were one scoreless inning each from Jorge Alcala, Griffin Jax, and Caleb Thielbar.
Game 3: Twins 8, Mets 3
The Twins were able to salvage the last game of the series, with Pablo Lopez strong on the hill. He was supported by home runs from Buxton and Matt Wallner.
Vientos homered for the second straight game for the Mets, a two-run shot that temporarily put the Mets up 2-1 in the bottom of the second. Francisco Alvarez drove in the last run of the game in the bottom of the ninth. McNeil had the only multi-hit game for the Mets.
The Mets used six pitchers to get through this game, no doubt looking forward to Thursday’s off day while traveling to Anaheim. Luis Severino was hit hard in his three innings, giving up six runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts. The loss put his record at 7-4 and ERA at 3.93. Tylor Megill madę an appearance out of the bullpen, which may be his new role moving forward after the Blackburn deal. In two innings, he was charged with a run on three hits. Danny Young and Adam Ottavino each had a scoreless inning before Maton surrendered a run in an inning of work. Another newcomer, Brazoban, made his Mets debut with a scoreless ninth.
Minnesota sported a balanced attack in this one, with Jeffers being the only starter to not get a hit. Buxton’s home run was his 13th of the year, with Wallner hitting his sixth. Wallner and Santana had two hits each. Other than Wallner’s two RBIs, one run was driven in by each of Trevor Larnach, Kepler, Lewis, Buxton, Santana, and Jeffers.
Lopez was strong in his six innings of work, moving to double-digits wins on the season. He gave up two runs on three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. Sands and Randy Dobnak had a scoreless inning each in relief, with Jhoan Duran taking the ninth inning and giving up one run.
Up Next
The Mets travel west to start an August where they will be accruing a lot of frequent flyer miles. Only nine games in the month will be played at Citi Field. Against the LA Angels, the Mets will play a three-game weekend set. Blackburn is expected to make his Mets debut on Friday, followed by Peterson and Quintana. After the series in LA, the Mets will travel to St. Louis for a makeup game with the Cardinals before heading to Colorado to face the Rockies.
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