When Robert Frost said, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference," I don't think he was talking about adding relief pitchers at the trade deadline, but the sentiment is the same. This year, the New York Mets took the path less traveled by giving up a haul for a reliever... but I'm pretty confident it'll make all the difference as we head down the stretch of the MLB season.
Tyler Rogers made his Mets debut on Saturday, throwing one scoreless inning and lowering his ERA to 1.76 on the season. He was coming off one of his only poor performances of the season, when he gave up four hits and two runs against the Pirates on July 29th, taking the loss for the Giants. Maybe he got his bi-monthly bad outing out of the way before joining the Mets.
And while I don't blame Mets fans for being a little hesitant to fully embrace the Rogers trade, in which they gave up their No. 10 and No. 12 prospects, I think they'll quickly change their hesitant tune to an emphatic cheer as the submarine pitcher shuts down opposing offenses.
Tyler Rogers is not a typical deadline addition
There are so many relief pitchers in MLB that fans can't be blamed for thinking that all relief pitcher trades are created equal. But they're not, and Mets fans will be very happy to admit that the return for Rogers was well worth it as he continues to put together quality outings like he's done all season long.
Three separate times Rogers has led MLB in appearances (2020, 2021, 2024). He's a workhorse of all workhorses among relievers, but he isn't "just an arm," as his sub-3.00 career ERA illustrates.
The Mets had two choices at the trade deadline: trade for a leverage reliever and give up real prospect talent to do so... or add arms that may or may not be difference-makers and not give up much in the process. They chose the former, adding Rogers and Gregory Soto, and it will quickly become the clear right choice.
Rogers give the Mets bullpen as reliable an arm as possible
Few things are certain in baseball, but Tyler Rogers coming in to pitch in a close game and doing his job is a near sure-thing. He threw nearly 400 games with the Giants, the only team he had even been part of until last week, and he has to be one of the five best players in baseball who's never made an All-Star Game. Some guys just put their heads down and go to work and Rogers is one of them.