Brodie has pulled off another trade, acquiring outfielder Keon Broxton from the Milwaukee Brewers.
In return, the Mets send Bobby Wahl, who was acquired in the Jeurys Familia deal last season, right hander Adam Hill and infielder Felix Valerio back to the Brew Crew.
“Keon is a dynamic athlete with the ability to impact the game in the outfield, on the bases and with his bat,” Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said in a press release. “He adds depth to our major league roster for 2019 and into the future.”
Well. This move came out of nowhere. There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s start with what the Mets parted with.
Roberto Correa who is well versed on the Met farm system shared his thoughts with us. You can also follow him on Twitter here.
On Adam Hill:
Adam Hill was the Mets 4th round pick in the 2018 draft. Drafted out of South Carolina, he was a starting pitcher for his entire college career, and heralded for having solid breaking pitches. Hill has an excellent slider that is his go-to tool. His change-up is an effective pitch as well, and he matches those two pitches with a low-90s fastball. It’s possible that Milwaukee could try to restart him as a starter, but his true trajectory seems to be that of a solid reliever.
On Felix Valerio:
Felix Valerio is a lottery pick in this trade. He’s an 18-year-old who plays with an advanced approach, and excellent contact. Perhaps like a Luis Santana light for a comparison in the Mets org. Walked 13 more times than he struck out in the Dominican Summer League. Not a big kid standing at 5′ 7″ 165 lbs, but could have some sneaky power as he fills out.
Many thanks for your insight.
Now Bobby Wahl is a name that fans are more familiar with. Acquired along with Will Toffey last season for Jeurys Familia, Wahl threw 5 innings for the Mets in 2018. He was torched, but obviously 5 innings is a very short sample size.
Here is my thing. I would never invest in a player who has had thoracic outlet surgery. I could easily be proven wrong. All it would take is one pitcher to have a good season. The thing is, no one has had a good season following the surgery.
Also, if the Athletics needed a reliever so badly last season, they could have called up Wahl who pitched in the majors in 2017, rather than trading for Familia.
Ok. On to Broxton.
Credit to our GM for working out a deal for a player who has as much upside as Broxton. He is not yet arbitration eligible and will be making the league minimum in 2019. Broxton has four years of team control remaining.
With that being said, I like this move for depth. High upside depth, but depth nonetheless. If Broxton becomes our opening day center fielder then we are putting an awful lot of faith in an unproven entity.
Broxton has shown flashes of power with an impressive walk rate. He’s a borderline elite defensive center fielder. He was also sent down to the minors three times last year, and has a higher strikeout rate than Mets pitchers at the plate the last two years.
Here comes the debates and speculations.
What becomes of Juan Lagares? Broxton and Lagares are very similar players. They are both right handed center fielders with plus gloves who have yet to show consistency at the plate. Is Lagares and his 9 million dollar salary a trade candidate?
Sources say that this will conclude the outfield shopping this winter. Even if Lagares stays, the Mets have four major league outfielders on the roster, not including Yoenis Céspedes. If Rajai Davis and Gregor Blanco who were signed to minor league deals are in the mix, I’m very underwhelmed.
With that being said, I would absolutely love Keon Broxton as the 25th man.