What we still don’t know about the Mets’ trade deadline

Edwin Diaz was traded to the Mets at the trade deadline. Billy Eppler is the new general manager.

The Mets are still waiting for the deadline to make a trade. The public is impatient. I criticized the Mets for under-selling Jarred Kelenic and taking on the contract of Robinson Cano.

The Mets traded Cano for Kelenic. Cana is still on the Mets' books for roughly $20 million next season. Kelenic played in the minors for two seasons and is a good prospect. He was drafted No. 6 overall in June 2018 by the New York Mets. He is the kind of player who could have fronted a trade for Mookie Betts after that season, if the team had the money.

The Mets were 77-85 in 2018. They had talent but not enough to justify trading away their most recent first-round pick and taking on five years and around $100 million on Cano's contract.

The Mets didn't make a big move at the trade deadline. They obtained Mychal Givens, Tyler Naquin, Darin Ruf and Daniel Vogelbach. The team's offense has been poor this month. The Mets are in contention for the NL East title. It's too early to talk about the team.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the Mets' trade deadline. Eppler and the team did not do enough to fortify a title contender.

Vogelbach's homer in a game won't be as important as Diaz's in 2019.

The Mets are not going to make a big move to get Juan Soto. The Nationals are unlikely to trade him within the NL East. The Padres are going for top prospect after top prospects to take Sato.

The Mets are going to make a trade at the deadline.

The Mets didn't trade any of their top 19 prospects at the trade deadline. They used the money they got from the Bassitt deal to upgrade their farm system. Eppler stressed that the team is trying to build a culture of sustainability. The team didn’t get walk-year hitters such as J.D. Martinez or left-handers with the ability to get out right-handed hitters. The other teams probably saw the prices as too high. It is worth pointing out that they were not the only team seeking a difference-making bat or a lefty reliever.

Eppler says the percentage chance of winning the championship after the deadline is not that high. The Padres were seen as the biggest trade deadline winners after obtaining Soto, Bell, Brandon Drury and Josh Hader. Since Aug. 3, the player traded prior to the trade Deadline who had the best OPS (minimum 50 plate appearances, going into Thursday) was Rangers catcher Mark Mathias. The players traded after that date had a lower OPS. Ruf's worst look is because he was traded for and replaced by Davis. He's also the worst player. His OPS is almost exactly his career mark.

The Andrew Friedman Dodgers have been exemplary in their decision-making around prospects. The Eppler Mets want to emulate the same. They are trying to let the system mature before using perceived better prospects in trades. Dan O’Dowd, an MLB executive, has an insight he voices often. He says patience is the only asset routinely rewarded in our sport. It is not often that reporters or fans cheer patience in real time. Eppsler has tried to protect the top of the prospect system. They have acquired players such as Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty and Alex Ramirez. But they also try to balance the potential and the present value of their prospects, as well.