The New York Mets swung a trade for a slugger. No, not Juan Soto — as it appears the Mets are likely not going to land the Washington Nationals slugger, per reports.
However, New York did land Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Daniel Vogelbach in a deal for reliever Colin Holderman.
On the surface Voglebach is not that much of an improvement at designated hitter over Dom Smith or JD Davis. He is a lifetime .213 hitter, and only above .300 once when he played in 18 games during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. This year alone, Voglebach is hitting .228 with 12 homers and 34 RBI.
Moreover, Voglebach is hitting only .141 against lefties. He is more of a righty-specialist, meaning he does better against right handed pitchers. His numbers against right-handers is solid: .260 with 12 homers and 27 RBI.
Mets we’re in active talks for Daniel Vogelbach past few days. Platoon DH/1b option. They now have agreement for trade, per source
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) July 22, 2022
Fixing: Mets have a .692 OPS vs. RHP, 21st in majors. Vogelbach has an .896 OPS vs. RHP. Cano and Dom Smith have failed to provide heft from the left side. This feels like a move, but not necessarily the only move the Mets will make to try to address this.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 22, 2022
Holderman is a young pitcher with potential. He was 4-0 with a 2.04 ERA in 17-2/3 innings of work. He was mostly a long reliever out of the pen, and the Mets certainly need arms out of the bullpen right now. Expect the Amazin’s focus to shift to the bullpen as the trade deadline nears.
Will the Mets still make a play for another hitter? Trey Mancini and Josh Bell are still available in the market.