This weekend, the New York Mets dealt closer Jeurys Familia to the Oakland Athletics in return for 2 minor league prospects and roughly $1 million in international bonus pool money. In nearly every MLB trade, there seems to be a clear cut winner and loser, and it is quite apparent that you can mark this one in the Oakland’s win column.
The Athletics were able to acquire a strong arm to their bullpen without having to fork over any assets of particular value. He has been effective in his 2018 campaign thus far, recording 17 saves while holding a 2.88 ERA and 43 strikeouts, but he is capable of so much more.
He flashed his true potential as a superstar closer in 2015, when he recorded a 1.85 ERA with 43 saves for the Mets organization. His game would only improve the following season, being selected to his first MLB All-Star game and leading the majors in saves with 51. Familia was in a rhythm before nagging injuries took over in 2017, but he has worked his way back and is striving to get back to his former self.
In exchange for Familia, all the A’s had to give up was Triple-A reliever Bobby Wahl and High-A third baseman Will Toffey. These guys barely cracked the top 20 prospect list within the Athletics organization, providing the Mets with a poor return on one of their top assets.
New York’s real motivation may be behind the international money. Its the only logical explanation why the Mets would deal Familia for such a modest offer a week ahead of the trade deadline.
Some execs were dumbfounded by the move. Ken Rosenthal reported that “At least one rival exec who was interested in Familia is upset the #Mets jumped on #Athletics’10 days before deadline without getting back to his club first. Another also found it curious NYM jumped so soon, saying, “The int’l money must have been real important to them.”
The A’s also took on the rest of Familia’s contract, which was of the utmost importance to the Mets organization. The Mets are notorious for being cheap and not wanting to spend money on top talent, and clearly they haven’t learned from their mistakes in the past.
Cap relief and minor leaguers are not worth losing an All-Star caliber closer, and Mets fans can only hope the front office doesn’t make a similar mistake when discussing deals surrounding aces Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom, as another error in judgment could damage the franchise for years to come.
Featured Image Via Flickr/Keith Allison
