The Mets are trading right-hander David Robertson to the Miami Marlins.
The Mets will receive two minor league position players: infielder Marco Vargas and catcher Ronald Hernandez. The team will reportedly not send money to the Marlins in the deal so Miami will pay the remainder of his $10 million salary.
This marks the second straight season that the 38-year-old has been moved ahead of the deadline.
The Mets initially signed Robertson to a one-year deal with hopes that he’d help form the bridge to Edwin Diaz in the later innings. However, with the star closer suffering a potentially season-ending injury in the World Baseball Classic, plans quickly changed.
As a result, Robertson had some huge shoes to fill in the closer role this season. While it’s close to impossible to replace a pitcher of Diaz’s caliber, the veteran righty did a tremendous job.
That made Robertson one of, if not, the top relief pitchers available on the trade market. Which is why, though he would’ve rather stayed in the Big Apple for the remainder of the season, the move is a no brainer for the Mets.
In 40 appearances this season, Robertson pitched to a 2.05 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 48 strikeouts. He also locked down 14 of the 17 save opportunities thrown his way and picked up seven holds.
He’ll certainly be a solid addition to the backend of the Marlins bullpen.
As for the players the Mets are getting back, Vargas is a 18-year-old middle infielder who was rated as Miami’s No. 18 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
He has been extremely impressive offensively with the Marlins’ Rookie ball affiliate this season. Through 33 games, Vargas has posted a .283 average, .899 OPS, and a stellar .457 on-base percentage. He’s drawn 38 walks on the year while striking out just 22 times to go along with 11 doubles and eight stolen bases.
Hernandez signed with the Marlins in Jan. 2021 and he was ranked as the No. 24 prospect in their system. The 19-year-old catcher has hit just .243 with 14 doubles, eight homers, and 73 RBI across three minor league seasons.
