The New York Mets traded infielder Eduardo Escobar to the Los Angeles Angels for right-handed pitchers Coleman Crow and Landon Marceaux, the teams announced Friday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Escobar was playing in his second season with the Mets. In 2023, he is slashing .236/.286/.409 with four home runs and 16 RBIs.
- Crow has a 1.88 ERA with 24 innings pitched in 2023 for the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas. Marceaux is 3-6 this season with the Trash Pandas, posting a 4.88 ERA with 59 innings pitched.
- Entering Friday, the Mets are 34-40, sitting fourth in the National League East. The Angels are 41-35, sitting third in the American League West.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Why did the Mets make this move?
For a while now, Steve Cohen, Billy Eppler and the Mets have been talking about building a sustainable winner in Queens. With the major-league club struggling mightily this season and with Escobar’s role diminished, the Mets saw an opportunity to bring in some minor-league talent, and they were willing to cover Escobar’s salary for the rest of the season to do so.
“The Angels had a need, and we had a little bit of a surplus,” Eppler said. “It’s a testament to Steve and his commitment to the blueprint here. …. We’re not getting these players if Steve is not covering the money.”
(That’s a notable change from how the Mets consistently operated under the Wilpons late last decade, when they never picked up the money on players they traded away.)
Even as a reserve, Escobar had been a useful player for the Mets — his OPS is .897 over the last two months — and so they’ll be relying on someone younger to step in. That could be Mark Vientos, who was just sent down over the weekend. — Britton
Does this signal that the Mets will be sellers?
While the timing here raises eyebrows, it’s premature to view this as the first in a month-long sale of the current Mets roster. The Angels initiated the trade conversation because of their needs on the infield, and the Mets were willing to listen because of their other options to fill Escobar’s role.
New York still has another month-plus to make a firmer decision on its deadline plans. — Britton
Why Los Angeles made this trade
The Angels made this trade because of a slew of infield injuries over the last 10 days. The team lost Gio Urshela for the season. Anthony Rendon is out with a sore wrist. And starting shortstop Zach Neto is dealing with an oblique injury. The Angels wanted a proven third baseman to both start in the immediate future and serve as an insurance option for the oft-injured Rendon. The Angels are desperate to win this season, and felt they had to make a move to remain competitive. — Blum
Angels look to be buyers at the deadline
Losing Marceaux and Crow is not irrelevant for the Angels. They rank in the organization’s Top 20 prospects. Crow’s profile has risen steadily in the org over the years since being taken in the 28th round at above-slot value. Marceaux has a 4.88 ERA in 59 innings this year at Double-A. The Angels hope to be buyers at the deadline, and this trade does impact their ability to acquire more players before Aug. 1. — Blum
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(Photo: John Jones / USA Today)
