Mets get Tyler Naquin from Reds, put Drew Smith on IL
Tyler Naquin has extensive experience at all three outfield spots, so his presence will give manager Buck Showalter more options. Credit: AP/Aaron Doster
MIAMI — The Mets added two more pieces Thursday night as they rejigger their roster ahead of the trade deadline next week, swinging a four-player deal with the Reds that brings outfielder Tyler Naquin to New York. They also received lefthanded reliever Phillip Diehl.
Heading to Cincinnati are a pair of teenaged minor-leaguers, outfielder Hector Rodriguez and righthander Jose Acuna. Both are in the lower minors and neither were considered among the Mets’ top prospects.
Teams have until 6 p.m. Tuesday to make trades. The Mets’ most obvious areas of need are the bullpen and lineup, particularly against lefthanders, and this trade doesn’t really satisfy either.
Naquin, 31 years old and a free agent after the season, is a middling offensive player overall but has performed well in his career, including this year, against righthanded pitchers — much like Daniel Vogelbach, whom the Mets brought in via trade with the Pirates last week. He has hit .266 with a .335 OBP and .476 slugging percentage against righties this year; against lefthanders, those numbers are just .171/.191/.268.
It is not clear how the Mets see Naquin fitting onto the roster. Right now their backup outfielder is Travis Jankowski, a speed-and-defense type who earned rave reviews from manager Buck Showalter early in the season but has provided little offensively. Jankowski hasn’t batted since July 16.
The starting outfield, meanwhile, seems set: Mark Canha in left, Brandon Nimmo in center and Starling Marte in right. Naquin has extensive experience at all three spots, so his presence will give Showalter more options.
The Mets designated righthander R.J. Alvarez for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Naquin.
Diehl, 28 and a Yankees 27th-round draft pick in 2016, is not on the 40-man — the Reds had designated him for assignment in May — so the Mets won’t need to add him to theirs unless they want to. In parts of three seasons in the majors, he has a 9.47 ERA in 21 games with the Rockies and Reds.
As recently as last year, though, Diehl had a great season in Triple-A: 2.47 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 71 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings and nearly six strikeouts for every walk. The Mets don’t have a ton of lefthanded bullpen depth — Joely Rodriguez (5.93 ERA) is their lone regular southpaw reliever — and teams almost always are willing to give another shot to pitchers who throw with their left arm.
Smith sidelined. The Mets put righthander Drew Smith on the injured list with a strained right lat. Smith (3.51 ERA) last pitched Sunday, when he allowed the Padres one run in one inning. It was the sixth time in eight appearances in the past month that he was scored upon.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
