Mets Trade For a Year of Jake Marisnick

It’s been clear for some time now that the Astros weren’t going to enter the 2020 season with George Springer, Michael Brantley, Josh Reddick, Jake Marisnick, Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez, and Myles Straw all on the roster. There are, after all, only so many spots to fill in the outfield. A trade, then, particularly for Reddick (who’s owed $13 million next year, the last of his contract) or Marisnick (also in the last year of his contract, though for only $3 million) seemed likely. This is that trade, or at least one of them, and it’s with the Mets.

In giving up two minor leaguers (more on them later, with thoughts from Eric) for a year of Marisnick, New York is attempting to shore up what was a black hole of a position for them in 2019. The -0.4 WAR they got from their center fielders was the fourth-lowest mark in the game last year (ahead of only the Mariners, Orioles, and Marlins, who averaged 102 losses), due in large part to Keon Broxton’s horrendous performance in the early part of the season when he managed to accrue -0.5 WAR in just 53 plate appearances. Broxton, who really had no luck at all in 2019, spent the rest of his forgettable season with, funnily enough, the Orioles and Mariners.

Back in New York, Juan Lagares, Brandon Nimmo, and Michael Conforto filled in for the rest of the season, but Lagares is a free agent and Nimmo and Conforto are probably better used at the corners. Acquiring Marisnick means that new Mets manager Carlos Beltrán — himself no stranger to center field in New York — will get to decide between either platooning Marisnick and the lefty Nimmo in center, or just giving Marisnick the lion’s share of starts in center in his own right, pushing J.D. Davis to the bench. He could also keep the outfield essentially as it was in 2019 and use Marisnick primarily off the bench, but I wouldn’t count on that.

That’s because the major reason you acquire Jake Marisnick is for his glove, not his bat, and that means getting him as many reps in center field as possible. Marisnick has occasionally had modest success at the plate — his 117 wRC+ for Houston in 2017 is the high-water point — but he’s a career .285 wOBA hitter with a strikeout rate pushing 30% and a contact rate in the low 70s. But he’s excellent in the field: Over the last two years, he’s produced a 7.4 UZR (6th among center fielders) and 17 DRS (5th). Compare that to Conforto (-5.9 UZR, -12 DRS in center over the same period) and Nimmo (-4.4 UZR, -4 DRS), and the Mets’ thinking is both clear and persuasive.

In exchange for a year of good outfield defense, New York gave up left-hander Blake Taylor and outfielder Kenedy Corona. Taylor, 24, is the closer of the two, and has indeed been added to the Mets’ 40-man roster. Eric reports a “stiff, unathletic” vertical delivery that produces a 90-95 mph, 2,400 rpm fastball and an average 2-to-7 curveball. Corona, 19, has more upside. Eric reports a medium frame that’s fairly physically mature for a 19-year old, a swing with some issues that nonetheless results in hard-hit balls for his age, and an above-average runner with a chance to stay in center field. Look for him on the Astros list come springtime.

All in all, that seems like a reasonable exchange for a year of good center-field defense and a slightly below-average bat. I’m guessing that the Astros were somewhat limited in the offers they received by their obvious need to move an outfielder, as well as their clearly stated desire to lower payroll. With this deal, they’ll get a chance to see if Taylor can contribute anything at the big-league level in 2020 in a new pitching system, and a few years more to see what they have in Corona. The Mets, for their part, fix up the weakest part of their 2019 roster with a solid major-league player, and they still have a chance to see if they can acquire a pitcher or two (or, heck, trade for Starling Marte). A sensible deal all around.

Thanks to Eric Longenhagen for reporting on the two players Houston acquired in this deal.