Mets Trade Minor League Depth Arm to NL Contender

The Mets swapped minor league pitchers with one of the NL's stronger teams.

Feb 25, 2024; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets pitcher Tyler Jay pitches against the Houston Astros in the seventh inning against the Houston Astros at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets have made a trade - albeit a low-profile one.

On Sunday afternoon, the team announced that they had acquired right-handed pitcher TJ Shook from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for left-handed pitcher Tyler Jay. Both pitchers are currently in the minor leagues; Shook will go from the Biloxi Shuckers to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (both Double-A), while Jay will go from the Syracuse Mets to the Nashville Sounds (both Triple-A).

RHP TJ Shook has been acquired from Milwaukee in exchange for LHP Tyler Jay.

— New York Mets (@Mets) July 21, 2024

Shook is a 26-year-old who has yet to make his major league debut. In his minor league career, he has a 23-17 record with a 4.77 ERA; this season with Double-A Biloxi, he has a 5-7 record with a 4.90 ERA and 1.35 WHIP, with 77 strikeouts against 25 walks in 64.1 innings pitched. He was a bit better last year with a 4.62 ERA and a .229 batting average against, but opponents are hitting .249 against him this year. With this regression, perhaps the Brewers believed he needed a change of scenery and the Mets were willing to give him a shot.

On the other hand, Jay has only three games of major league experience despite being 30 years old; he made his debut this season with the Mets and recorded a 7.71 ERA in 4.2 innings, with three walks and three strikeouts. He's had a fairly respectable career in the minors with a 3.62 ERA, but he was originally supposed to be a top prospect for the Minnesota Twins, who drafted him with the sixth overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft; his development was greatly hurt by health issues (namely eosinophilic esophagitis, an allergic reaction of the esophagus) and ultimately forced him to miss the 2021 season.

The Mets purchased Jay's contract from the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League last season; in his appearances with Triple-A Syracuse this year, he's looked very impressive with a 5-1 record, a 2.40 ERA (league average is 4.90 in the International League) and 1.02 WHIP, and 30 strikeouts against just four walks in 41.1 frames. Considering his strong performance in an extremely hitter-friendly environment, Jay is clearly ready for the majors.

Despite the age difference between Shook and Jay, this is a rather questionable trade for the Mets due to Shook still being a long way from truly impacting the team. Although Jay is officially in his 30s and lacks MLB experience, his performance in the minors indicates that he still has the potential that made him a highly regarded draft pick almost 10 years ago.

Ultimately, the Mets will continue their search for bullpen arms before the trade deadline, but they may have given up a possible option to one of the stronger teams in the NL.