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A’s officially acquire Jeurys Familia for two minor leaguers, cash

The man with 123 saves for the Mets will look to help a contending Athletics team

Late Friday night, it was expected that Jeurys Familia would no longer be a member of the Mets. Come Saturday afternoon, it finally became a reality. After the Mets’ 7-6 loss against the Yankees, a trade between Oakland and the Mets became official.

Jeurys Familia, the man with the third most saves in Mets history with 123, has been shipped to Oakland. The return? Infielder William Toffey, RHP Bobby Wahl and international bonus pool money.

Who exactly are the players the Mets received for their once-prized reliever? Toffey, a fourth-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, was considered Oakland’s 17th-ranked prospect. He was batting .244 with five home runs and 32 RBIs for Class A. The Mets immediately promoted him to Double-A Binghamton. After the move, MLB Pipeline officially ranked him the 20th best prospect on the team. As for Wahl, the 26-year old throws in the upper 90s and had a 2.27 ERA with Triple-A Nashville. Oakland’s fifth-round pick in 2013 had a cup of coffee in the big leagues last year, posting a 4.70 ERA in seven games.

In a statement, Assistant GM John Ricco made some interesting comments:

“This trade hits three major areas. We got a major league ready reliever our scouts recommended, a position player who was a high selection from the 2017 draft and strong prospect in the A’s system as well as receiving international bonus pool money.”

The latter half of the statement is fascinating. In the deal, the Mets will not be absorbing any of Familia’s remaining salary, as the A’s will be taking all of the $3 million owed to him. Ricco stated a while back that the team had the ability to eat any players salary by the Trade Deadline in order to get better prospects in a deal. That was not the case here, which makes it all the more puzzling.

While both players are recommended and may have a successful future, a questionable business decision by the Mets has people asking more questions than finding answers. As a salary saver, the Mets may have an opportunity to add talent next year, but was it a difference maker?

As for the A’s, they add a reliable arm to their already dangerous bullpen. Familia is 4-4 with a 2.88 ERA in 40 relief appearances this season. He has 17 saves in 21 opportunities and has struck out 43 batters. With a 55-43 record, the Athletics are making waves in a crowded AL West, and are in the hunt for a Wild Card spot. As a playoff push continues, Familia can become the stopper the team needs.

The Mets will play around with the closer role, with Robert Gsellman getting the bulk of the work for now. At some point, the team will need to answer for a deal like this. Until then, they will continue to promote several players to other teams. Here is hoping for a different kind of return next time, and less controversy surrounding said return.

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Baseball Editor, Misc. Sports Editor. Covers all things combat sports (MMA, Pro Wrestling and Boxing). When he's not writing, Daniel hosts a podcast, The Main Event.
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