The National League East race between the Mets and the Phillies promises to be a tight one until the very end, and both teams made moves to fortify their bullpens on Wednesday.
While the Phillies addressed their closer questions with the acquisition of Jhoan Duran from the Twins, the Mets pulled off a pair of big deals to acquire Ryan Helsley from the Cardinals and Tyler Rogers from the Giants.
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Mets acquired RHP Ryan Helsley from the Cardinals for INF prospect Jesus Baez, and RHP prospects Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt.
Mets acquired RHP Tyler Rogers from the Giants for RHPs Blade Tidwell and José Buttó, and prospect OF Drew Gilbert.
The bullpen was an obvious area of need going into the trade deadline, as the Mets have lost several trusted arms due to injury over the past couple of months, but the question was whether David Stearns and company would go more quantity over quality. Well, so far they’ve gone with both quantity and quality.
Edwin Díaz is as good as it gets in the ninth inning, but now there’s a legitimate three-headed monster in the late innings for Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. Both Helsley and Rogers are due to become free agents following the season, so the Mets paid a pretty penny for rentals to ensure that their bullpen is October-ready.
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Helsley, 31, has been one of the game’s best closers since moving into the role for St. Louis in 2022. With a high-octane fastball and untouchable slider, he’s posted 103 saves and a 2.03 ERA with 266 strikeouts in 203 2/3 innings during that time.
Rogers couldn’t be more different than Helsley, what with his submariner-delivery and low-to-mid 80s sinker, but he’s been one of the game’s best relievers anyway. The 34-year-old holds a 2.79 ERA over seven seasons in the majors, all with the Giants. After leading the league with 77 appearances last season, he’s doing again this year (53 games) while posting a 1.80 ERA over 50 innings. In addition to being a ground ball machine, he’s walked just 10 batters in 120 1/3 innings dating back to the start of last season.
It seems like an afterthought now, but the Mets already picked up left-hander Gregory Soto from the Orioles over the weekend. Add this new crew to Díaz, Reed Garrett, Ryne Stanek, and Brooks Raley, and you have a very stout group built for a long playoff run.
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By the way, a fun fact: Tyler’s twin brother Taylor was also traded on Wednesday, as he was sent to the Pirates in the Ke’Bryan Hayes deal. If you were curious if brothers have ever been traded on the same day before, we’re here to confirm that it has never happened.
It wasn’t too long ago that the Giants looked like they were in it to win it, but things have changed in recent weeks. While it has been a disappointing turn of events, especially after the blockbuster trade for Rafael Devers, the Giants did very well in the return package for Rogers.
Buttó broke out as a member of the Mets’ bullpen last year, but things haven’t gone nearly as smoothly for him this season. Still, the 27-year-old misses plenty of bats and keeps the ball on the ground, so he’s an intriguing pickup for San Francisco. The club could keep him in the bullpen or potentially give him another chance to start.
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According to MLB Pipeline, Tidwell was the Mets’ No. 10 prospect while Gilbert was No. 12. Tidwell, a hard-throwing right-hander, made his major league debut earlier this season. Gilbert, 24, was acquired from the Astros in the Justin Verlander trade two years ago. He’s put together a .246/.349/.435 batting line with 12 homers and 46 RBI over 81 games with Triple-A Syracuse this season. Both will surely get chances with the Giants in short order.
The Cardinals managed to nab the best prospect the Mets parted with on Wednesday, as Baez ranked No. 8 on the team’s list according to MLB Pipeline. Still just 20 years old, he’s a right-handed hitter with intriguing power potential and a solid approach. He’s mostly played with High-A Brooklyn this season while slashing .242/.332/.390 with 10 homers over 69 games. He’s been mentioned as a shortstop in reports of the trade, but has also played second base and third base this season.
Dohm, a third-round pick out of Mississippi State in 2024, has posted a 2.87 ERA over 17 starts and one relief appearance this season between Class A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn. The 23-year-old was also drafted last year (19th round) and has pitched between St. Lucie and Brooklyn this year while compiling a 3.04 ERA and 65/21 K/BB ratio in 56 1/3 innings (seven starts, 13 relief appearances). While interesting, Baez is the centerpiece for St. Louis.
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In all likelihood, nothing much will change for Edwin Díaz. Perhaps we’ll see him lose a couple of save chances with the luxury of a deeper bullpen, but he should still be the top dog in the Mets’ bullpen. The real adjustment fantasy-wise will be with Ryan Helsley. When his name was mentioned in trade rumors in recent weeks, the expectation was that he would go somewhere to close and maintain most or all of his fantasy value. It’s a much, much tougher case now, even if the strikeouts and ratios will be helpful.
As for the Cardinals, they probably aren’t done making trades. so it’s hard to pin down the closer situation just yet. Phil Maton is a logical name to go, and it’s possible JoJo Romero will be dealt as well. One name to watch in fantasy leagues is Riley O’Brien. You don’t hear about 30-year-old rookies very often, but he’s earned his keep with a 1.75 ERA and 28 strikeouts over 25 2/3 innings.
