MLB Trade Deadline Retrospective: Tyler Clippard to Mets
By Jason Burke
A year ago today the New York Mets began adding pieces ahead of the 2015 MLB trade deadline, landing reliever Tyler Clippard from the Oakland Athletics.
Before the 2015 season began, Oakland had landed Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar from the Tampa Bay Rays for John Jaso and minor leaguers Boog Powell and Daniel Robertson. The A’s then flipped Escobar four days later in order to land Clippard in an effort to bolster their bullpen.
Clippard had closing experience with the Nats, saving 32 games for the club in 2012 and was coming off of an All-Star campaign in 2014. The A’s quickly promoted the 30-year-old right-hander to the ninth after Sean Doolittle was placed on the disabled list.
With Clippard in the closer’s role, his value on the market grew, as he saved 17 games for Oakland in his time with the team, posting a 2.79 ERA and a 142 ERA+. As he has throughout his career, Clippard outperformed his 3.96 FIP by over a run.
The market last year was not as ludicrous as this year’s appears to be, as Oakland agreed to ship the righty to former A’s GM Sandy Alderson and the Mets for low-minors prospect Casey Meisner, then just 20 years old.
Next: Clippard's Time in the Big Apple