The Mets did something on Thursday we haven’t seen much of this season — they snatched victory from the jaws of what looked like a sure defeat vs. the Nationals. Unfortunately, that didn’t prevent New York from trading David Robertson to the Marlins.
General manager Billy Eppler netted shortstop Marco Vargas and catcher Ronald Hernandez in return. Both are teenagers who were playing in the Florida Complex League. Here’s what their stats look like so far this season:
Prospects #Mets got for Robertson:
– Marco Vargas (INF): .283/.457/.442 (.899 OPS) across 120 FCL at-bats. 38/22 BB/SO
– Ronald Hernandez (C): .298/.464/.452 (.916 OPS) across 104 FCL at-bats.
Vargas is only 18, Hernandez 19 years old. Strong numbers for each so far.#Mets
— James Villani (@jvillani08) July 28, 2023
And here’s what Eppler said about the prospects they received in exchange for Robertson:
Billy Eppler discusses what he likes about Marco Vargas and Ronald Hernandez in the trade for David Robertson
On Vargas: Elite contact, elite decision making
On Hernandez: Switch-hitting catcher, above average arm strength, really good decision making in the batter's box pic.twitter.com/MwsRsAn4Bm
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 28, 2023
Obviously, this is not a situation the Mets want to be in at this point of the season. But this is the reality of where they’re at record-wise and in the standings. Robertson is one of three players that were most likely to be traded if the Mets decided to sell off some pieces. Tommy Pham and Mark Canha are the other two still left from that trio. For the time being.
But of course, given how disappointing this season has been for the Mets, selling gives them an opportunity to continue re-stocking the farm system. While updates on prospect rankings at MLB.com will be forthcoming, Vargas and Hernandez are immediately two of the Mets’ top 20 prospects:
It might take until the morning for the lists to reflect the trade, but for now:
Marco Vargas will jump to No. 6 on the #Mets list. Ronald Hernandez joins at No. 18 (one spot behind Reimer).
Reminder: Our midseason update is coming in August, so these two will move again soon. https://t.co/zzeWYJJskn
— Sam Dykstra (@SamDykstraMiLB) July 28, 2023
Former Mets radio announcer, Wayne Randazzo, made a great point after news about this started circulating. After an expensive winter and having championship expectations heading into 2023, touting two teenage prospects years away from the big leagues is a hard sell for Mets fans. And that’s understandable.
In an ideal world, New York would be holding onto Robertson. But as we can see, nothing about this year has been ideal for the Mets. At the very least, they’ve added two intriguing players who will be considered among of their top prospects. And according to lots of talent evaluators and minor-league experts, the Mets made out very well here.
We’ll just have to wait and see how their respective futures eventually pan out and how it impacts the organization.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
