Steve Cohen spent big over the offseason to try building a contender, but at least he knows when it’s time to sell a loser.
Cohen’s New York Mets traded Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers on Saturday. Three days later, they sent Justin Verlander back to the Houston Astros.
Much like what happened when they send Scherzer to Texas, the Mets made sure to get back some good prospects. They are receiving outfielders Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford from Houston’s system.
Gilbert was a star outfielder at Tennessee from 2020-2022. The Astros drafted him with the No. 28 overall pick last year. Gilbert has batted .278 with an .832 OPS in the minors. The 22-year-old was batting .360 in High-A ball earlier this year before being promoted to Double-A, where he’s batted .241. Gilbert has speed, good bat control, and pretty good power despite being just 5-foot-9. He should be able to help the Mets in the outfield as early as next year.
Clifford was an 11th-round pick by the Astros last year. The 20-year-old outfielder signed out of high school and dominated Low-A ball. He’s also showing great power in High-A ball as he’s slugged 11 doubles and 16 home runs in just 58 games. He has an .898 OPS in 108 career minor league games so far.
The Mets spent money over the offseason to sign big-name players, and they also spent money to get some big prospects back in return.
The New York #Mets are sending the #Astros about $54 million in the Justin Verlander trade, one executive said, if Verlander's $35 million option in 2025 becomes vested.
Verlander is owed about $93 million, meaning the #Astros would pay Verlander about $29 million for 2 1/3 years— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 1, 2023
In addition to the prospects from Houston, the Mets also got a notable player in return for Scherzer.
