10:20 a.m.: Mets send money to Yankees in deal for Torrens, Sherman tweets. More specifically, it will be a return of $100,000 for the Yankees.
9:50 a.m.: The Mets are shaking up the roster with a set of high-profile moves. Recipient Omar Narvaez is designated for a mission, reports SNY’s Andy Martino. His place on the list will go to the receiver Luis Torrens, who is acquired from the Yankees and selected to the MLB roster, according to Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base. Meanwhile, the third baseman Brett Baty and that’s true Christian Scott will be optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports. They will be replaced on the roster by an infielder Jose Iglesiaswhose contract will be selected in Syracuse, and on the right Dedniel Nunezwho will be recalled from Syracuse, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
This is a significant series of roster moves that will see the Mets give up veteran Narvaez, option two of their top prospects to Triple-A for more seasoning, and thus clear a full runway for Mark the winds to get an opportunity as an everyday third baseman.
Narvaez, 32, signed a two-year contract worth a guaranteed $15 million during the 2022-23 offseason – the second season of which was a player option. After a lackluster debut campaign in Queens that saw him hit just .211/.283/.297, Narvaez unsurprisingly opted into the second season of his contract. However, this year’s production was even lower. In 69 trips to the plate, Narvaez managed just a .154/.191/.185 batting line with a dismal 22.2% hard-hit rate.
Prior to his time with the Mets, Narvaez was a quality regular with the White Sox, Mariners and Brewers from 2018-2022 – even making an All-Star team with Milwaukee in 2021. During that five-year span years, Narvaez batted .254/. 337/.397. He was inconsistent with the bat from year to year, but ended up producing at about a league-average level over that half-decade. On top of that, the Brewers – who have a reputation for improving catcher’s defense – have revamped Narvaez’s skillset behind the plate. He was considered one of the worst defenders in the game in 2018-19 with Chicago and Seattle, but recorded seven defensive runs saved and was worth an even more impressive 19 runs behind the plate in Statcast’s eyes – thanks in large part to massive improvements in its framing.
The injury to Francisco Alvarez appeared to create an opportunity for Narvaez to return to his previous form, but he was outplayed by the defensive superior. Thomas Nido, who returned to the big leagues after being sent outright to Syracuse last season. Nido hasn’t been great at the plate himself – his .233/.260/.370 batting line is well below average – but has vastly outperformed his compatriot. This will allow Nido to remain in what will likely be the starring role until Alvarez returns.
Alvarez reported for Double-A Binghamton yesterday, opening a 20-day window for his minor league rehab assignment. This could result in a short-lived stay on the roster for the newly acquired Torrens. The Mets will choose between him and Nido once Alvarez is ready for activation. In 124 Triple-A plate appearances with the Yankees, journeyman Torrens hit .279/.339/.469 with five home runs and six doubles.
Once a highly regarded catching prospect with the Padres and Mariners, Torrens, now 28, is a career .227/.289/.354 hitter in 807 MLB plate appearances. He has a knack for hard contact, but too many of those well-hit balls are of the ground variety. A whopping 49.9 percent of Torrens’ career batted balls in the majors have been on the ground, which is clearly suboptimal for a hard-working catcher who ranked in the 24th percentile of big league players in velocity sprint from 2022 to 2023, according to Statcast.
In Baty and Scott, the Mets return two of the organization’s most highly touted prospects to the minors. Baty, 24, has now seen MLB action in three straight seasons, but has yet to solidify himself as an everyday third baseman — or even as a viable bat in the big leagues. This year’s .225/.304/.325 batting line is 12% worse than average, as measured by wRC+, but nonetheless remains his most productive season in the big leagues. Since his debut at the end of the 2022 season, Baty carries a .214/.281/.325 line in exactly 600 plate appearances.
Baty, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2019 draft, has been particularly cold of late, collecting just six hits in his last 54 trips to the plate. He is considered a superior defender to Vientos, also 24, but Vientos’ bat has been too loud for the Mets to ignore. Also long considered one of the organization’s top prospects, Vientos is hitting .295/.354/.591 with three homers in just 48 plate appearances. The performance of the former No. 59 overall pick clearly justifies more playing time. With Baty sent to Triple-A, he will receive that chance and could well establish himself as a long-term corner option for the Mets with a strong performance.
Scott, who turns 25 in a few weeks, has pitched well in his first five MLB starts. In 27 2/3 frames, he worked his way to a 3.90 ERA with a 22.3% strikeout rate and an excellent 5.4% walk rate. However, the right-hander was a reliever in college and the Mets have played a rotation role since turning pro. As a result, he never carried a full workload as a starter, with last year’s 87 2/3 being a career high. The Mets have several off days on the schedule in the near future, which reduces the need for rotation arms. As such, they will send Scott to Syracuse, where they can more easily manage his innings and simultaneously offer the big league club an additional reliever.
Passan notes that Scott should return to the big leagues shortly. His promotion to date certainly justifies it. And if the Mets continue on their current trajectory, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see other members of the rotation dangled in trade scenarios. For the moment, Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana, Taylor Megill And David Peterson are lined up to make the next five starts. Severino is on a one-year contract, while Manaea has an opt-out at the end of the season and Quintana is in the second season of a two-year contract.
In place of Baty, the Mets will turn to veteran Iglesias. He has developed a reputation as a defensive shortstop with good contact skills but minimal impact when putting the bat to the ball. Iglesias didn’t play in the majors last season, but he is a career .279/.319/.382 hitter in over 4,000 plate appearances. He came to the plate 175 times at Syracuse this season and had a slash line of .273/.309/.442.
Iglesias will give the Mets a true backup shortstop to Francisco Lindorsomething they lacked before, and is fully capable of spelling Vientos at the hot corner or stepping in to Jeff McNeil at second base even though the overwhelming majority of his career was spent at shortstop.
As for Nunez, this will already mark his third stint with the Mets this year. He was the 27th player earlier this week for a doubleheader and also played in four games earlier in the season. He pitched 8 1/3 innings in five appearances, holding opponents to three runs on seven hits and three walks with 13 strikeouts.