The New York Mets entered the 2023 MLB season with sky-high hopes after going on a spending spree during the offseason and building the highest payroll in baseball history with World Series expectations.
On Thursday, New York traded closer David Robertson to the Miami Marlins for two young prospects, signaling the Mets will more than likely be sellers at the trade deadline.
David Robertson of the New York Mets pitches during the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park June 24, 2023, in Philadelphia. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Robertson signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Mets in the offseason and became the closer after Edwin Diaz suffered a knee injury during the World Baseball Classic.
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The move comes with the Mets sitting at 48-54, 17 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East and seven games back for the final wild-card spot as of Friday.
“We’re just listening, and I think we can gauge signals from other clubs. And if the signals are strong enough, we have to look for opportunities,” Mets general manager Billy Eppler said when asked if the club was open to anything before the deadline.
New York Mets relief pitcher David Robertson, left, talks to catcher Francisco Alvarez after a game against the Chicago White Sox July 18, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
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“It’s not where we want to be. It’s not what we want to be doing,” Eppler said when asked about the process for the front office. “We’re trying to balance the best interest of the team but also have to try and balance the best interest of the organization.”
When asked whether the Robertson move signaled that the club was “open for business,” Eppler said the team is “listening to where clubs are when they call us.”
New York Mets Pitcher David Robertson delivers a pitch during the eighth inning of a game against the St. Louis Cardinals June 18, 2023, at Citi Field in Flushing, NY. (Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Robertson joins a Marlins team that sits one-half game behind the Cincinnati Reds for the final NL playoff spot.
“I figured I would be moved. I just didn’t know where,” Robertson said Thursday night, according to ESPN. “Just really didn’t have an idea of where, so it’s kind of a shock, but it’s part of this game.”
MLB’s trade deadline is Tuesday, Aug. 1, and it remains to be seen what the Mets’ roster will look like once the deadline comes and goes.
