The Mets trade the Reds but once again leave fans wanting more

The New York Mets are trading a bullpen arm and a left-handed outfielder, but it’s not the outfielder you envision.

No, the Mets didn’t take over Juan Soto. No, they didn’t take over Ian Happ. They didn’t get David Peralta either. Instead, the Mets made a trade with the Cinncinati Reds sending OF Tyler Naquin and LHP Phillip Diehl to Queens. The trade with the Mets was met with conflicting sentiments as fans were certainly hoping for a bigger name the Mets would acquire.

Our own Robert Murray broke this trade news and provided the details of who the Mets were buying. On the surface, this trade is a bit confusing until you take a closer look at why the Mets made this trade. The Mets trade is actually pretty good, leaving plenty of interest and money for bigger moves.

The Mets resolved several issues with this trade by acquiring a left-handed outfielder in Tyler Naquin. Naquin can start in left field on days when a tough right-hander is on the mound and give a breather to Mark Canha or Brandon Nimmo. He also offers a lot more punch than Travis Jankowski. Jankowski hits a meager .167/.286/.167 while Naquin hits a far more robust .245/.305/.429 with 12 doubles and 6 homers.

This move also allows the Mets to keep Jeff McNeil at capstone, second base, allowing Luis Guillorme to move to third base. It’s clear that Eduardo Escobar is slumping badly and may need a few days off – or even be on the bench for certain games. Escobar is batting just .220 with 19 doubles and 12 home runs. The strikeout was a problem with 60 miles to just 26 walks. Luis averages a much better .288 with 111 OPS+ and 10 doubles.

See how this move now allows the Mets to be much more flexible with their roster and potentially increase their offensive production? Maybe it wasn’t that overwhelming when you see they also added another much-needed left-handed pitcher and gave up almost nothing for those players.

The Mets only added about $1.525 million to their payroll, but with Steve Cohen as the owner, that’s nothing. Phillip Diehl is not currently in the 40-man roster but will provide valuable left-handed pitching depth for the bullpen. With Triple-A Louisville, he had a 30.6 percent strikeout rate and a 1.114 WHIP over 23.1 innings with a 4.24 ERA. His MLB numbers leave a lot to be desired, but maybe the Mets can fix that.

In exchange for those two guys, the Mets didn’t give up even one of their top-30 candidates. Jose Acuna is a promising pitcher, but he’s only 19 and in Low-A. He has great strikeout potential, but he won’t be a factor any time soon. The same goes for INF Hector Rodriguez. He batted great in the Florida Coast League, but he’s only 18.

The best thing about this Mets trade is that they have many prospects to choose from for larger needs

The Mets worked out their problems in the outfield without sacrificing potential top capital. You can now focus on a power hitter, a catcher and more bullpen help. Imagine having to overpay Ian Happ just to miss a bullpen arm or catcher. You may be upset that the Mets haven’t gotten a bigger player, but maybe that’s yet to come.

After all, there are only a few days left until the end of trading. I guarantee that Billy Eppler and Co. are in for a big deal. The Mets need those prospects make a trade for a player like Trey Mancini or JD Martinez.