Mets trade news: New York lets go of ace reliever David Robertson in return for two prospects from NL East rivals

Robertson was one of the top rental relievers on the trade market for the second straight summer. The Cubs dealt the right-hander to the Phillies at last year’s deadline, bringing back pitching prospect Ben Brown. Robertson helped Philadelphia win the pennant in 2022; he hopes to have a similar late-season boost in Miami.

With a one-year, $10 million free-agent contract signed in the offseason, the former All-Star should take on a key setup role in Queens. Edwin Diaz’s knee injury meant Robertson unexpectedly took over in the ninth inning. While much of the New York roster has underperformed, the 15-year MLB veteran has had a very strong few months in Flushing.

Robertson has a 2.05 ERA in 44 innings. He is on pace for what would be the sixth sub-3.00 result of his career. He is striking out just under 28 percent of opposing hitters while generating strikeouts in 13.1 percent of his offerings. Robertson’s command had been spotty in 2022 – perhaps a reflection of the rust after injuries cost him most of the 2019-21 seasons – but he has returned to throwing strikes this season. Robertson has walked just 7.6% of batters faced.

He is 14-17 in save opportunities and has picked up seven more holds. Robertson has dominated right- and left-handed hitters this season and offers a consistency rare for a single-inning reliever. He will take on an important high-leverage role for the Fish, likely taking over closing duties. Left-handers Tanner Scott and A.J. Puk are also in the final innings. Miami’s bullpen was short on options for right-handers, so they’ll bring in Robertson a day after a change-of-scenery trade of relievers sent Dylan Floro to Minnesota for Jorge López.

The trade within the division serves as a reminder of how disappointing the Mets’ 2023 campaign was. New York, which was coming off a 101-win season and had the highest payroll in MLB history, entered the year with championship aspirations. Miami was seen more as a rookie, a team with a lot of young talent that faced an uphill battle to finish higher than fourth in its division.

With a real chance to make the playoffs in a 162-game schedule for the first time in two decades, the Fish will trade with the lesser teams for immediate MLB help. Now that they have strengthened the bullpen, general manager Kim Ng and her staff may try to bolster the group of position players in the coming days. They’ve been linked to outfielders like Tim Anderson and Jeimer Candelario in recent days.

More significantly, the organization is adding two intriguing low-level talents. Vargas, 18, is a left-handed infielder from Mexico. He ranked 20th among Miami prospects on Baseball America earlier this season, though BA’s Josh Norris tweeted that he was moving up the rankings after impressing evaluators in the complex league this summer.

The outlet’s preseason report praised Vargas’ abilities in the bat-to-ball game and suggested he would likely fit better defensively at second base. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranked him ninth in the Marlins’ system in late May, similarly praising his hit tool. Vargas is batting .283, .457 and .442 with nearly twice as many hits for and against in 33 games this year.

Hernandez, 19, is a switch hitter from Venezuela. He is repeating the same level in the complex league, but batting 29.8%, 46.4% and 45.2% in 31 games. FanGraphs ranked him 24th in Miami’s system, crediting his advanced hit tool and above-average arm strength. There’s a lot of variability in picking such young players, but Vargas and Hernandez appear to have a chance to become everyday players in the future if they develop as expected.

That won’t be much consolation for the Mets in the short term. Robertson’s transfer confirms their increasingly obvious position as deadline sellers. Other potential free agents, such as Tommy Pham, Carlos Carrasco and Mark Canha (whose contract contains a club option in 24 years), may follow Robertson. The Mets may not have the appetite for a full-scale rebuild, but their position in the standings this year has gotten too difficult to ignore.

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal was the first to report that the Marlins were acquiring Robertson. Rosenthal and Will Sammon first reported that the Mets were getting two minor league hitters in return. Jon Heyman of the New York Post was the first to report on the return of Vargas and Hernandez. The Post’s Joel Sherman confirmed that the Marlins were accepting all of Robertson’s remaining money.