Mets aren't selling, yet - acquire Trevor Gott to bolster bullpen
In addition to Trevor Gott, the Mets re-acquired RHP Chris Flexen, and promptly designated him for assignment
The Mets got Gott.
On Monday, the Mets made a move to augment their bullpen, acquiring RHP Trevor Gott and RHP Chris Flexen from the Mariners in exchange for LHP Zach Muckenhirn.
In corresponding moves, the Mets transferred RHP Edwin Uceta (ankle sprain) to the 60-day injured list, and designated Flexen for assignment.
The Mets will pay the approximate $4 million owed to Flexen following the trade and removal from the roster.
Gott, 30, has appeared in 30 games for the Mariners this season, going 0-3 with a 4.03 ERA while allowing 33 hits and eight walks against 32 strikeouts in 29 innings this season. He will be eligible for arbitration following the 2023 season, and can be a free agent after the 2024 season.
Got pitched to a 1.75 ERA through May 30, but was roughed up on June 4 by the Rangers and was subsequently placed on the injured list with a lower back strain. He has made two appearances since returning from the injured list, allowing three earned runs in 2.1 IP combined in those appearances which, along with his appearances on June 4 (5 ER, 1 IP) as ballooned his ERA to 4.03 for the season.
As for Flexen, it has been a season to forget for the 29-year-old right-hander. He posted a 7.71 ERA in 17 appearances and four starts for Seattle this season, having been removed from the rotation after his start against the Cardinals on April 23 when he allowed six runs in only four innings. He didn’t fare much better in a relief role following that change, posting a 6.53 ERA in 12 appearances while opponents slashed a .326/.383/.558 line against him during that span.
Flexen was originally drafted by the Mets in the 14th round of the 2012 amateur draft. He was generally ineffective following what was considered a premature call up by the Mets during the 2017 season, posting a 3-11 record with an 8.07 ERA in 27 appearances and 11 starts in parts of three seasons between 2017-2019. The Mets finally released him after the 2019 season, he latched on with the Mariners and briefly resurrected his career between 2021-2022 by going 22-15 with a 3.66 ERA in 64 appearances, 53 starts during that span.
All-in-all, the Mets are effectively paying approximately $4.6 million to acquire Gott and bolster their bullpen, at least in the short-term. If nothing else, Gott will offer an opportunity for Buck Showalter to preserve the club’s four most valuable relievers ahead of the trade deadline (Drew Smith, Adam Ottavino, David Robertson, and Brooks Raley) and keep them from burning out before deciding whether to move one or more of them in trades.
Should the Mets turn their season around, Gott could give the Mets valuable middle and late inning depth during that time as well.
The Mets bullpen was a weak link heading into Spring Training, and the injury to Edwin Díaz only worsened things for the underwhelming and overworked relief corps. Entering play on Monday, the Mets bullpen had a 4.26 ERA (20th in MLB), a -0.7 fWAR (29th in MLB), allowed 1.34 HR/9 (30th in MLB), suffered 13 blown lead losses in June, and have a -29 run differential in the eighth inning this season.