Seattle Mariners and New York Mets Swing a Trade Involving Chris Flexen and Trevor Gott

The Seattle Mariners have traded pitcher Chris Flexen to the New York Mets. The M's also have sent reliever Trevor Gott packing to New York, acquiring Zach Muckenhirn in the process.

UPDATE 3:10 p.m. ET. The Mets have designated Flexen for assignment, proving that Gott was the piece they really coveted and were willing to take on salary to get him.

DFA'D: #Mets have designated RHP Chris Flexen for assignment.

— MLB Transaction Tracker (@MLBMovesTracker) July 3, 2023

The Seattle Mariners and New York Mets struck a trade on Monday with the M's sending out a pair of pitchers to Queens.

Per Ken Rosenthal of 'The Athletic.'

The Mets have acquired Chris Flexen and Trevor Gott from the Mariners for lefty Zach Muckenhirn, sources tell @TheAthletic.

The Mets have acquired Chris Flexen and Trevor Gott from the Mariners for lefty Zach Muckenhirn, sources tell @TheAthletic.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 3, 2023

For the Mets, the move signals that they are not giving up on the season. They'll take on the remaining portion of Flexen's deal, about $4 million, so they clearly aren't selling, despite being 38-46 and 8.0 games out of a wild card spot at the time of this posting.

For the M's, the move is a confusing one. It's understandable to want to get rid of Flexen, who was just designated for assignment last week, but the inclusion of Gott feels like a way to get rid of Flexen's salary. For a Mariners team that is 5.0 games back of a wild card, getting rid of a valuable reliever just to shed Flexen's salary feels like an unnecessary waving of the white flag.

In 2021, as the Mariners won 90 games and chased the playoffs, Flexen went 14-6 with a 3.61 ERA in 31 starts. He fell out of the rotation in 2022 after the Mariners acquired Luis Castillo but still started 22 games and pitched to a 3.73 ERA.

This year, there was talk of the M's trading Flexen in spring training but they elected to keep him. He started four games and relieved in 13 others, struggling mightily along the way. He's 0-4 with a 7.71 ERA right now.

The 30-year-old Gott has pitched well this season, going 0-3 with a 4.03 ERA in 30 games. He's struck out 32 in 29.0 innings. The M's have had success with reclamation projects before in the bullpen, so maybe they think that they can replicate his success with someone else. 

Muckenhirm has appeared in three games for the Mets this season. He's got an ERA of 6.00 in six innings.

The 28-year-old was drafted in 2016.

The Mariners play the San Francisco Giants on Monday at 9:45 pm. ET.

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