Grading the Mets’ 2025 Trade Deadline

The MLB trade deadline has come and gone, leaving the Mets with one of the most impressive hauls in all of baseball. David Stearns redefined the meaning of “going all in,” making several big-time moves to vastly improve this team, while still keeping his star-studded prospect core intact.

The opposite can be said about the San Diego Padres, who unloaded their entire farm system to round out their roster, making them one of the most dangerous teams on paper. But this isn’t about San Diego or anyone else. Let’s go through and grade every move the Mets made at the 2025 MLB trade deadline.

Grading the Mets’ 2025 Trade Deadline Deals

RP Gregory Soto — B+

Mets receive:
RP Gregory Soto

Orioles receive:
RHP Wellington Aracena (No. 19 prospect)
RHP Cameron Foster

Trading for Gregory Soto was a perfect fit. He’s the exact opposite of Brooks Raley—another lefty, but with a completely different style. At 30 years old, Soto joins his fourth team and leaves behind a quiet season in Baltimore. The Mets didn’t bring him in to be an All-Star again—they brought him in to give them a real edge in the sixth and seventh innings.

His Mets career has already been a literal 50/50—two appearances, 1 2/3 innings, no earned runs… but also surrendering a walk-off single to Elias Díaz on Monday.

Soto’s 3.78 ERA this year is his best since his Detroit Tigers days, and his value is clear: he’s insurance against the wave of elite lefty bats the Mets could face in October—guys like Schwarber and Ohtani. The cost? Barely anything.

Cameron Foster is already 26 and only now showing signs of life in Double-A before getting rocked in two Triple-A outings. Wellington Aracena is the more notable piece—he hits triple digits and posted a 2.38 ERA with a 33.5% K rate over 64.1 IP in Single-A this season, even winning FSL Pitcher of the Month in June.

But at the end of the day, the Mets filled a real need with minimal sacrifice. Soto isn’t a game-changer, but he’s someone you absolutely want in your bullpen come October.

RP Tyler Rogers — B+

Mets receive:
RP Tyler Rogers

Giants receive:
CF Drew Gilbert (No. 12 prospect)
SP Blade Tidwell (No. 10 prospect)
RP José Buttó

A lot of people think the Mets lost this trade. I’m here to tell you they didn’t.

As stated in a previous piece, these were prospects the Mets weren’t planning around. That made them expendable—and Rogers is more than worth it. He gets a B+ here solely because he’s a rental. But for the next two months, he gives the Mets exactly what they needed: a proven, playoff-tested arm in the 7th and 8th innings.

Rogers has been one of the most reliable relievers in baseball over the last five seasons, with sub-3.05 ERAs in four of them. In 2025? Even better—a 1.80 ERA in 53 appearances and one of the league’s best K/BB ratios (9.5).

The San Francisco Giants received a solid haul. Drew Gilbert is the biggest name in the deal. He’s good enough to be in the majors right now, potentially, but has yet to crack the Mets’ 40-man roster. If he had stayed in Triple-A, he would’ve been exposed to the Rule 5 Draft. The Mets weren’t ready to give him a real look in center field alongside Tyrone Taylor and Jeff McNeil, so moving him made sense.

Blade Tidwell already debuted in May, allowing six runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Cardinals. He threw 15 big league innings overall, with a 9.00 ERA and just 10 strikeouts. With guys like Jonah Tong, Nolan McLean, and Brandon Sproat ahead of him, Tidwell’s future in the Mets’ rotation was fading. And José Buttó—he gave the Mets a great stretch in 2024, but his value had peaked.

Could the Mets re-sign Rogers this offseason? Absolutely. And if they do, this deal looks even better, putting to bed any flashbacks of the 2021 PCA trade.

CP Ryan Helsley — A-

Mets receive:
CP Ryan Helsley

Cardinals receive:
SS/3B Jesus Baez (No. 7 prospect)
RHP Nate Dohm (No. 14 prospect)
RHP Frank Elissalt

One of the most significant moves of the entire deadline. The Mets landed an All-Star closer—except they didn’t get him to close. They got him to set up Edwin Díaz. And just like that, New York might have built the best 1-2-3 punch in baseball: Rogers in the 7th, Helsley in the 8th, Díaz in the 9th.

Helsley is in the middle of a “down year” by his standards, with a 3.00 ERA over 36 innings—but he’s also got 21 saves, second-most of his career. This move gives manager Carlos Mendoza flexibility in high-leverage spots and turns this bullpen into a problem for opposing lineups.

The St. Louis Cardinals get a decent return here. Jesus Baez is the best of the bunch. He was the Mets’ No. 7 prospect and a player the organization really liked, but his 2025 campaign with Brooklyn was underwhelming, batting just .242. The two pitchers involved—Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt—are decent arms with upside, but neither one hurts the Mets’ farm all that much.

The only concern is that Helsley becomes a free agent at the end of the season, making him another short-term rental. That means Stearns and the front office will have some decisions to make this winter, especially with Edwin Díaz possibly opting out, and Helsley potentially commanding a big deal of his own.

CF Cedric Mullins — A

Mets receive:
CF Cedric Mullins

Orioles receive:
RHP Raimon Gomez (No. 30 prospect)
RHP Chandler Marsh
RHP Anthony Nunez (No. 14 prospect)

After weeks of swirling center field rumors, the Mets finally landed their guy—and it wasn’t Luis Robert Jr.

Why not? The Chicago White Sox reportedly wanted Jonah Tong, the Mets’ No. 2 prospect. That was a no-go. So instead, the Mets pivoted to Mullins—a much cheaper and safer option, and honestly, one having a better season than Robert.

No, Mullins isn’t the same guy he was in 2021 (All-Star, .291 AVG, 30 HR). But in 2025? He’s still productive: .229 AVG, .738 OPS, 15 homers—and more importantly, a .866 OPS vs left-handed pitching and an .837 OPS over his last 25 games.

The Orioles received three pitching prospects in return. Raimon Gomez and Chandler Marsh are viewed more as organizational bullpen depth, but the bigger name is Anthony Nunez. He’s a flamethrower with a fastball that’s topped out at 104.5 mph, though command remains a genuine concern. MLB Pipeline graded him out at 45 overall.

The trade makes sense from the Mets’ side. Tyrone Taylor had been struggling all season in center, hitting just .201 with two home runs and a .553 OPS. Mullins brings a real upgrade—and one that could be key down the stretch.

The Last Word

Overall, the Mets drastically improved the exact areas they needed at the trade deadline. Sure, another rotation arm or bullpen piece would’ve been nice, but it’s hard to complain when you land four legitimate difference-makers and keep your top five prospects untouched.

Even better? The Mets are planning to boost the rotation from within, with the likely promotion of one of their top arms from Triple-A.

“We have confidence not only in the starters who are here… we’re also pleased with the development of how some of the guys in Triple-A are progressing,” said Stearns after the deadline.

The goal now is simple: put the pieces together and make a push for the postseason, with the hope of bringing Queens its first World Series title since 1986.