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MLB trade grades: Mets acquire outfielder not named Juan Soto in swap with Rays

It's not Juan Soto, but the Mets have upgraded their outfield with a trade.

By Zachary Rotman

Jul 30, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks to the media about the MLB trade deadline before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Jul 30, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks to the media about the MLB trade deadline before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The New York Mets made an unlikely run to the NLCS in what was supposed to be a retooling year, and proved that they have the core in place to build a sustainable winner under David Stearns.

With that in mind, Juan Soto appears to be New York's No. 1 target. And with Steve Cohen's money, they certainly have a legitimate shot at landing him. Even if the Mets get Soto, though, they entered the offseason with a need in center field with Harrison Bader entering free agency. Their trade on Tuesday netted them just that.

According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, the Mets have acquired Jose Siri in a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. It isn't Soto, but it does give the Mets a necessary upgrade at a premium position.

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MLB Trade Grades: Mets bolster outfield in under-the-radar swap with Rays

The Mets signed Bader this past offseason to provide speed and defense in center field. Siri has the same traits, and is an upgrade over the soon-to-be departing 30-year-old. Bader ranked in the 74th percentile in sprint speed according to Baseball Savant and the 95th percentile in OAA. While he was solid in both categories, Siri was in the 99th percentile in both sprint speed and OAA, while also ranking in the 97th percentile in arm strength. He's realistically an upgraded version of what they had with Bader.

While Siri has exciting traits as a player, his bat does leave a lot to be desired. He slashed .187/.255/.366 with the Rays this past season in 130 games and has a .674 OPS in his career, well below the league average. While that is a bit concerning, Siri did hit 25 home runs in 2023 and hit 18 more this past season. He swings and misses a ton, but he's able to capitalize on mistakes by hitting the ball out of the ballpark. Bader hit just 12 home runs this past season and has never hit more than 16 in a single season. Plus, with his .284 OBP, it's not as if Bader was an on-base machine, either.

Siri is far from perfect as a player, but is projected to make just $2.5 million in his first season of arbitration. The Mets have him under cheap club control through the 2027 season, and again, have upgraded over what they had. The best part is the door is still wide open for Soto to come aboard and play right field. Having an elite defender like Siri patrolling center field can help mask some of Soto's defensive deficiencies.

It's hard not to like this deal for the Mets, but it's also easy to see why the Rays were comfortable doing this.

Siri, while he has his positive attributes, is not hard to replace. With Dylan Carlson, Jonny Deluca, Josh Lowe and Richie Palacios on their active roster and Chandler Simpson (their No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline) already making an impression in Double-A, the Rays have a good amount of outfield depth. It's far from a guarantee that Siri was going to play regularly.

In exchange for Siri, the Rays acquired Eric Orze, a reliever who struck out 81 batters in 61 innings of work at that level. Command is an issue, but when Orze locates, he's tough to square up. Another reliever that the Rays acquired at the trade deadline, Hunter Bigge, also showed elite strikeout stuff with questionable command in the Minors. In 15 games in the Majors for Tampa Bay, though, he had 19 strikeouts compared to three walks in 14 innings of work, allowing a total of four runs in those innings.

It's looking like the Rays got a good one in Bigge, and they might've gotten the same kind of return with Orze, who comes with six years of club control. He is 27 years old which is less than ideal, but Orze being MLB-ready helps on that front. With the Rays' success in trades and with developing pitching, it's hard to frown too much at the return that they got, even if Orze does have a lot to prove.

Mets trade grade: A-
Rays trade grade: B+

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