The Mets have traded infielder/outfielder Jeff McNeil to the Athletics together with money issues, in response to bulletins from each golf equipment. The Mets obtain right-hander Yordan Rodriguez in return. The A’s designated left-hander Ken Waldichuk for project to open a 40-man spot, which you’ll learn extra about right here. New York is reportedly sending $5.75MM to cowl a part of McNeil’s $15.75MM wage in 2026 and can cowl the $2MM buyout on McNeil’s $15.75MM membership choice for 2027 if the A’s don’t decide it up.
As soon as once more, the Mets are transferring on from a long-tenured participant as they overhaul their roster this offseason. They traded Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers final month. In current weeks, Pete Alonso signed with the Orioles and Edwin Díaz with the Dodgers. Díaz was acquired by the Mets in a commerce forward of the 2019 season. Nimmo, Alonso and McNeil had been all drafted by the Mets, Nimmo again in 2011, McNeil in 2013 and Alonso in 2016.
McNeil debuted within the large leagues in 2018 and performed in eight completely different seasons as a Met. Via the 2022 marketing campaign, McNeil had appeared in 516 video games, stepping to the plate 2,039 instances. He established himself as one of many hitters probably to place the ball in play. His 6.8% stroll fee was a bit decrease than league common whereas his 11.9% strikeout fee was barely half of par. He confirmed a little bit of pop with 46 dwelling runs in that span, although 23 of these had been within the 2019 juiced-ball season. Put all of it collectively and McNeil slashed .307/.370/.458 for a 130 wRC+ over these 5 seasons, indicating he had been 30% higher than league common on the entire.
Along with his expertise on the plate, he swiped a number of baggage and supplied the Mets with an excellent quantity of defensive versatility. He spent most of his time at second base but additionally appeared at third base and the outfield corners, typically getting good marks for his glovework. FanGraphs credited him with 15.3 wins above substitute in that span.
Going into 2023, the Mets signed him to a four-year, $50MM contract extension, simply forward of his age-31 season. That deal hasn’t been a catastrophe however McNeil’s manufacturing has declined since then. Up till he signed that pact, he had a .332 batting common on balls in play. That’s roughly 40 factors higher than typical league averages, an incredible enhance for a man who places the ball in play so usually. However previously three seasons, his BABIP has been simply .269, which has led to a .253/.326/.389 line and 102 wRC+. Because of his glovework, he’s nonetheless been price about two fWAR per yr over the course of his extension to date.
The infield image in Queens has turn into jumbled in recent times. Francisco Lindor has been a mainstay at shortstop since 2021. McNeil has been at second lots however has additionally been moved round because the Mets have tried to make time for a crop of youthful infielders consisting of Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña.
As these gamers have been incomes extra taking part in time, to various levels, commerce rumors round McNeil have picked up. The Mets additional loaded up the infield by buying second baseman Marcus Semien from the Rangers because the return within the Nimmo commerce.
McNeil’s defensive versatility meant the Semien commerce didn’t utterly kick him out the door nevertheless it was maybe telling that the Mets acquired some of the dependable, on a regular basis guys to cowl the place McNeil has performed most frequently. Since McNeil will flip 34 years previous in April and has only one assured yr remaining on his contract, a deal did really feel doubtless. The Jorge Polanco signing added even one other layer. He’s anticipated to primarily play first base and function the designated hitter however a while at second or third base is feasible as properly.
The commerce risk was sophisticated by the truth that McNeil’s well being is at the least considerably in query. It was reported in November that McNeil underwent a thoracic outlet process on the finish of the 2025 marketing campaign. His agent characterised the process as minor and mentioned the expectation can be for McNeil to be again to regular in time to be a full participant in spring coaching.
The process doesn’t appear to have dissuaded the A’s, who’ve been in search of upgrades on the second and/or third base positions. The A’s have been rebuilding for some time and have had quite a lot of success at growing their younger place participant prospects. They’ve virtually a full lineup of controllable gamers however they got here into this offseason with some room so as to add on the infield. Jacob Wilson is the membership’s shortstop and Nick Kurtz the primary baseman, however the different two spots had been huge open.
Zack Gelof flashed some dwelling run pop when he debuted in 2023 however his strikeout issues have worsened since then and he was injured for many of 2025. Numerous different younger gamers have obtained sporadic auditions whereas veterans like Luis Urías and Aledmys Díaz have additionally floated by way of.
McNeil will doubtless be the membership’s common second baseman within the upcoming season however his flexibility additionally permits them to pivot as issues develop. Wilson will not be an particularly robust defender at shortstop, so he might find yourself pushed to second or third. He’ll in all probability stick at quick in the intervening time however prospect Leo De Vries, acquired within the Mason Miller commerce, is looming. He’s solely 19 years previous however he is among the greatest prospects within the league and has already performed in 21 Double-A video games.
Wilson’s arm energy was ranked by Statcast within the eightieth percentile this yr, so dealing with the new nook is a risk, although the A’s would possibly favor to have him stick up the center. As they kind that out, guys like Max Muncy, Darell Hernaiz, Max Schuemann, Brett Harris and Gelof shall be making an attempt to earn taking part in time as properly. Accidents and additional acquisitions will inevitably change the state of affairs however McNeil can transfer round as circumstances dictate. He even performed a little bit of middle discipline this yr, so he can provide the A’s some protection for Denzel Clarke, who’s an elite fielder however questionable hitter.
The A’s might have turned to the free agent market and tried to take action. They reportedly provided Ha-Seong Kim $48MM on a four-year deal, which works out to $12MM per yr. As a substitute, Kim determined to guess on himself with a one-year, $20MM take care of Atlanta, as he’ll hope to return to free company with a greater platform.
As soon as Kim was gone, the A’s weren’t left with wonderful choices. Bo Bichette remains to be on the market however the A’s usually are not going to fulfill his asking worth and he wouldn’t need to play in a minor league park even when they did. Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suárez shouldn’t be fairly as costly as Bichette however these conditions can be considerably comparable. Under that tier, the highest free brokers are utility sorts like Ramón Urías, Willi Castro and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
McNeil has a greater observe report than these guys and isn’t prohibitively costly. For the reason that Mets are protecting $5.75MM of his wage in 2026, the A’s will solely must pay him $10MM, a bit lower than they had been prepared to pay Kim yearly. If McNeil has an excellent yr, they’ll decide up his $15.75MM membership choice for 2027 however they’ll additionally stroll away for nothing for the reason that Mets have agreed to cowl his buyout.
RosterResource estimates that the A’s are slated to spend $87MM on subsequent yr’s membership. It’s unclear the place they need the finances to be however that’s already $8MM increased than final yr. They may nonetheless use some pitching nevertheless it’s unclear how way more they’re prepared to spend.
The A’s are additionally parting with a lottery ticket prospect. Rodriguez is a Cuban righty who simply signed with the A’s this yr for a $400K bonus. He tossed 15 1/3 innings within the Dominican Summer season League with 20 strikeouts however eight walks and two wild pitches. He’s nonetheless solely 17 years previous, turning 18 in January, and isn’t correctly on the prospect radar but. Baseball America says he was not going to be one of many Athletics’ high 30 prospects for the upcoming yr. If he’s finally capable of contribute something for the Mets, it received’t be for fairly a while.
The Mets will take the flier on Rodriguez and see if they’ll money him in later. For now, it’s about transferring some cash off the payroll and certain opening themselves up for additional transactions. It’s unclear what their subsequent strikes shall be however an outfield acquisition feels inevitable after sending out each Nimmo and McNeil. Vientos, Polanco and Baty are projected to share the infield corners and the DH spot except the Mets shake issues up with an exterior addition. Additional strikes on the pitching facet are absolutely forthcoming.
Time will inform the way it all performs out nevertheless it’s the newest signal that there’s a altering of the guard happening in Queens. Semien isn’t a younger participant however he’s solely signed for 3 years versus Nimmo’s 5, in order that transfer was at the least considerably about avoiding long-term commitments to growing older guys. Letting Díaz and Alonso stroll whereas buying and selling McNeil may be strikes about stopping the membership from getting too previous. The Mets are in search of rotation assist however reportedly don’t need to decide to high free brokers on prolonged offers.
Proprietor Steve Cohen has an virtually unmatched willingness to spend however that led to inconsistent ends in the primary few years of his regime. He presumably introduced in president of baseball operations David Stearns to make the powerful, analytical selections about easy methods to use the assets. To date, the outcomes below Stearns have additionally been uneven nevertheless it’s solely been two seasons.
Clearly, there’s a want to keep away from long-term pitfalls. Other than the Juan Soto deal, which was an distinctive state of affairs resulting from his youth, Stearns hasn’t signed a contract longer than three years with the Mets. He has let fan favorites stroll away in free company and has additionally despatched them packing himself. The fan base doesn’t seem too completely happy in the meanwhile, particularly after the disappointing 2025 marketing campaign, so it should work out in the long term for Stearns to win them again.
Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the small print of the commerce. Pictures courtesy of Wendell Cruz, Jasen Vinlove, Imagn Photos
