New York Mets buy for 2018 with trade for reliever AJ Ramos
By Jason Evans
The New York Mets are buying and selling this trade deadline as they have acquired reliever AJ Ramos from the Miami Marlins.
The one thing New York Mets GM Sandy Alderson has struggled with during his tenure as is being able to build a bullpen. They have already dealt Lucas Duda, who is set to be a free agent after this season and are looking to deal other players with expiring contracts. However, it doesn’t mean they can’t look to next year. With better health and money to spend, they could be in contention again.
You could say they made their first move for 2018 tonight by acquiring reliever AJ Ramos from the Miami Marlins.
Sources: #Mets acquiring AJ Ramos from #Marlins.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 29, 2017
AJ Ramos makes sense for #Mets - under control through next season.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 29, 2017
#Mets sent Merandy Gonazlez and Ricardo Cespedes to #Marlins for Ramos
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 29, 2017
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Ramos is 2-4 with 20 saves and a 3.63 ERA in 40 games this year.
Per MLBpipeline.com, Gonzalez was the Mets ninth ranked prospect while Cespedes was 22nd ranked. Gonzalez is 12-3 this year between two levels of A ball this year. He’s struck out 89 in 106 innings. Cespedes at three levels is hitting .255 in 29 games, with the majority of them coming in Brooklyn in short season A ball. Gonzalez is 21 years old, while Cespedes is just 19.
The Mets can recoup some of the prospect collateral they dealt by dealing Addison Reed, who’s a pending free agent before the trade deadline on Monday.
Make no mistake, this trade is for 2018. A back end of the bullpen of Jeurys Familia, Ramos and Jerry Blevins is a very good start. Chris Smith, who they got for Duda, could also be an option for that bullpen as the New York Mets have to hope they will have better health next year.
Next: No ace in a trade for the Nats?
For the Marlins, they are unloading and going through yet another rebuilding process. They’ve added six prospects in the deals for Ramos and David Phelps and aren’t done. That doesn’t include what the new owners may do once the team sells.
The Mets did some of their shopping for 2018 now and with a couple of days before the trade deadline, anything can happen.