Mets acquire outfielder Jesse Winker from Nationals

Jesse Winker, good-natured Citi Field villain, has lived long enough to see himself become the hero.

The Mets acquired Winker from the Nationals for pitching prospect Tyler Stuart in a deal completed early Sunday, checking off another box on their wants list ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline: a lefthanded-hitting outfielder.

Winker, set to be a free agent after the season, is a rental, meant to help these Mets in their bid to get to and advance through the playoffs. At minimum, Winker will be a bench bat. Potentially, he will become one of their regular outfielders, particularly against righthanded pitchers. Hitting righties has been his chief strength this season and in his career.

Joining a team in the thick of the National League wild-card race is a welcome change for Winker.

“It’s what you play for,” he said minutes after arriving at Citi Field before the Mets’ 9-2 loss to Atlanta in the series finale. “You want to be a part of a playoff race and winning baseball games. It’s what you’ve always wanted since you started playing this game.”

Manager Carlos Mendoza said: “Big move. Obviously, a lefty bat. We’ve seen it a lot, especially when we play the Nationals. The at-bats and the way he controls the strike zone, the power. He’s going to help.”

The Mets demoted DJ Stewart, who had been their lefty-swinging backup outfielder all season, to Triple-A Syracuse to clear a roster spot for Winker. They also transferred Kodai Senga (left calf strain) to the 60-day injured list.

The fun footnote and key context: As an opposing player, Winker over the years developed a lightheartedly antagonistic relationship with Mets fans, who seemed to respond in kind. That began in 2019, when he punctuated a Reds win with a sliding catch near the foul line in leftfield, then waved goodbye to the fans in that area as he ran off the field.

That dynamic continued as Winker, who turns 31 next month, bounced to the Mariners, Brewers and Nationals.

“I love them,” Winker said of Mets fans in 2022 during a visit to Queens with the Mariners. “They are an amazing group of people. They are very passionate about their team and their city. And, from a guy who was born in upstate New York [Buffalo], big fan of that football team up there, I can understand the passion. I respect it. This thing we got going on is special.”

And now?

“I think we squashed our little thing a couple years ago,” he said. “It was fun. For my first couple of full seasons, I was maybe a little on the immature side. I had some fun. But obviously it’s a passionate fan base and I’m excited to play hard for them.”

Mendoza described his anticipated use of Winker as frequent but not daily. He sees Winker as an option in the corner outfield spots — he has played mostly left in his career — at designated hitter and as a pinch hitter. That will allow the Mets, Mendoza said, to rest players they have ridden hard: J.D. Martinez, Mark Vientos, Jose Iglesias.

Winker’s July 4 effort in Washington’s win was perhaps indicative of his Mets role: on the bench against lefty starter Jose Quintana, he hit a pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning for the only run of the game.

An All-Star in 2021, Winker batted .257 with a .374 OBP and .419 slugging percentage with the Nationals this season. Those numbers were better against righties: .266/.390/.450.

“He’s going to get a lot of opportunities,” Mendoza said.

With Sunday’s game out of reach, Winker pinch hit for Francisco Lindor in the bottom of the eighth and struck out swinging.

This is the first full season in Winker’s career that he has not been on the injured list. He has a history of back and neck issues in particular.

“Obviously, when you’re healthy, it’s a good foundation for a season,” he said.

Other Mets seemed enthused about the addition of Winker, who grew up in central Florida playing with and against the likes of Lindor and Pete Alonso on the travel-ball circuit as early as their preteen years. Upon seeing Winker in the Mets’ clubhouse, Alonso came over for a big hug and yelled in excitement.

The cost for the Mets was Stuart, a huge righthander — listed at 6-9 and 250 pounds — who had been having a decent year with Double-A Binghamton. He was not, however, part of the organization’s top tier of minor-league arms.

His departure was in line with the industry’s expectation of the deadline approach by David Stearns in his first year as president of baseball operations: modest additions with prospect capital expenditures to match.

Stuart, 24, put himself on the farm-system map last season, his first as a starting pitcher. He dominated with High-A Brooklyn before advancing to Binghamton. This year, he remained with Binghamton, posting a 3.96 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 84 innings.

Winker is the third player acquired by the Mets in the leadup to the trade deadline, which is at 6 p.m. Tuesday. They also have added relievers Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek. They have explored bringing in a starting pitcher, according to a person familiar with their thinking, in the wake of Senga’s injury, which will keep him out for at least the rest of the regular season.

By Tim Healey

timothy.healey@newsday.com@timbhealey

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.