Mets’ Deadline Deals Backfire as Trade Sends Help to Surging Giants
Deal that brought Tyler Rogers to New York also sent José Butto and prospect Drew Gilbert to San Francisco, a move that has buoyed the Giants in a suddenly tight NL wild-card race
The New York Mets’ trade-deadline strategy has produced mixed results, and one high-profile exchange appears to have unintentionally aided a National League rival. A deal that sent reliever José Butto and outfield prospect Drew Gilbert to the San Francisco Giants in return for veteran setup man Tyler Rogers has coincided with a late-season push by the Giants that has trimmed the Mets’ margin in the wild-card chase.
San Francisco, which largely acted as a seller at the deadline, has received contributions from both Butto and Gilbert as it has climbed toward contention. The Giants and the Cincinnati Reds have together cut the gap to the Mets to two games in a wild-card race that had seemed unlikely to include San Francisco earlier this season.
Gilbert, a high-energy outfield prospect, has produced modest numbers in his first major-league stint — batting .231 with three home runs — but teammates and observers have pointed to a different kind of impact. Videos circulating from the club show Gilbert banging on the dugout railing and engaging in boisterous interactions with veteran Matt Chapman, moments that teammates describe as injecting enthusiasm into a previously stagnant clubhouse.
Butto has also provided innings and bullpen depth for a San Francisco staff that has leaned on both veterans and younger arms of late. The trade, part of a broader list of about 20 notable deadline deals, is being viewed in some assessments as one of the more consequential moves because of its ripple effects on the playoff equation.
The Giants now feature a roster with several former Mets: Wilmer Flores, Joey Lucchesi and Dominic Smith are among the players who came to San Francisco via previous New York transactions. The club also added starting pitcher Carson Seymour in the deal that sent Darin Ruf out of the organization, further increasing the former-Mets presence in the Giants’ dugout.
New York’s acquisition of Rogers was aimed at shoring up late-inning relief, but the return on other deadline additions around the league has been uneven for the Mets. Analysts and commentators ranking the impact of the season’s trades have highlighted the Rogers deal as one that may have strengthened an NL foe at a time when the Mets’ own margin for error is shrinking.
As the regular season moves toward its final weeks, the consequences of deadline decisions loom large. San Francisco’s recent surge and the Mets’ apparent wobble have tightened the wild-card contest, ensuring that earlier roster moves will be examined closely by both clubs and their fans.
Managers and front offices typically weigh immediate roster needs against long-term depth when making deadline deals. In this instance, the Mets’ pursuit of bullpen help coincided with a boost to a rival’s lineup and clubhouse energy, altering the standings in a way that observers say nobody predicted when July’s trade market closed.