Jacob deGrom Shields Mets From Trade Deadline Failure

The trade deadline gives teams a chance to improve upon what’s not going right during the season. I will point out who upgraded, and I’m not going to pretend I know every baseball prospect traded. One team that decided to hold on to their best prospects like grandma’s pearls was the New York Mets. Sure, they made minor moves picking up Daniel Vogelbach, Darin Ruf, Tyler Naquin, and Mychal Givens for the bullpen, a righty when they needed a lefty, but they only addressed statistical weaknesses and not the real problems.

The Biggest Mets Failure

The Mets still have no protection for slugger Pete Alonso in the lineup. Their bottom of the lineup produces few runs. Eduardo Escobar leads the majors with 2.10 runners left on base per game, according to www.teamrankings.com. The Mets are 30th in the league in leaving runners stranded. OPS is great, only when you have players who can drive in those runners. The Mets could win it all, but they didn’t go all out.

deGrom Was Fantastic in Return

Jacob deGrom may have been out the last 13 months, but he picked up right where he left off. According to ESPN, he averaged 99.7 with his four-seam fastball, the highest of his career. This happened because he didn’t use his curve and change up as much and was striking out batters with his biting slider. The Mets got five innings out of deGrom. He gave up one run, on three hits while striking out six and not issuing a walk. The Mets lost the game 5-1 to a depleted Nationals team leaving 13 runners on base.

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The Braves Moved The Needle

The Atlanta Braves are just 2.5 games behind the Mets in the NL East, and they were busy at the deadline. They picked up closer Raisel Iglesias, starter Jake Odorizzi, and outfielder Robbie Grossman. They traded Will Smith who was once their closer but not this season. He needed a change of scenery for sure. Atlanta poses a threat to the Mets. The Mets and their broadcast crew can boast about how many games they are over .500, but Atlanta is right there too, with a lot of games left against New York.

The Phillies Got Serious

The Phillies upgraded in center field by getting Angel’s outfielder, Brandon Marsh. They upgraded their bullpen by getting David Robertson. They upgraded starting pitching staff by getting Noah Syndergaard, a former teammate of Zack Wheeler who has been starring in Philadelphia. The fact that the Phillies DFA’d Odubel Herrera and Jeurys Familia, that’s addition by subtraction. With Bryce Harper coming back they will make a run at the wild card spot.

Saving The Best for Last 

The Padres improved the most. They got Juan Soto, arguably one of the three best players in baseball. They got closer Josh Hader, one of the best in the game. They will be getting Fernando Tatis Jr. back from injury before September. So how good are they? They are still behind the Dodgers, but they can now match the Mets and probably beat them in a series. With deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Taijuan Walker making up their top three. The Padres counter that with Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, and now healthy Mike Clevinger. Advantage Mets but the Padres have a more productive and powerful lineup, and the bullpen is a wash. They are right there.