PORT ST. LUCIE — In search of major league pitching depth before the 2021 season, the Mets participated in a three-way trade with the Padres and Pirates that netted left-hander Joey Lucchesi.
It was one of those trades that had plenty of unrecognizable names, with Joe Musgrove serving as the headliner. Musgrove went from Pittsburgh to San Diego, giving the Padres a nice rotation piece. For their part, the Mets sent the Pirates catcher Endy Rodriguez, who had signed out of the Dominican Republic three years earlier for only $10,000. He was relatively unknown, having not ascended above rookie ball.
The trade sure looked like a win for the Mets, given that Lucchesi had four years of club control remaining and left-handed pitching isn’t the easiest to find.
Fast forward to today. When Lucchesi takes the mound for the Mets in an intrasquad scrimmage on Friday, it will be his first time he’s faced major league hitters in a game setting in more than 1 ½ years after undergoing Tommy John surgery. On the other hand, Rodriguez, still with the Pirates, is rated No. 55 among major league prospects by MLB.com. That ranking would make him the Mets’ fourth-best prospect, behind only Francisco Alvarez (No. 3), Brett Baty (No. 21) and Kevin Parada (No. 36). Rodriguez played at three levels in the minor leagues last season, posting a .996 OPS with 25 homers in 125 games overall.
The Mets appear in good shape at catcher, regardless, with Alvarez and Parada. But in not knowing what they had in Rodriguez (who also plays second base and left field), they cost themselves another chip, which is exactly what general manager Billy Eppler and his staff wants to avoid in trying to build a sustainable Mets farm system.
Rodriguez isn’t the only missed opportunity. In 2021, outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong went to the Cubs in the trade-deadline deal that netted Javier Baez. Crow-Armstrong starts the season ranked No. 27 among MLB prospects.
Eppler didn’t preside over the Lucchesi or Baez trades, which occurred under the watch of Sandy Alderson/Zack Scott. But both deals should serve as a reminder to the organization that even for a “win-now” team, young talent can’t be squandered in trades.
And while it’s still possible Lucchesi emerges as a useful piece for the Mets, there is no way the team would trade anything remotely close to what Rodriguez has become to acquire the left-hander if given a do-over.
Eppler remains committed to building an “underbelly” to the organization that will allow the Mets to compete for World Series titles without owner Steve Cohen’s checkbook as the only catalyst.
“That ultimately means probably having to take a knee on some trades that are only going to yield a short-term gain,” Eppler said. “For us to do something short term, we just have to crush that urge to do anything impulsive. That’s where our mindset goes while we build this thing for the long haul.”
The Mets continue to progress in building their minor league system from the empty cupboard that Cohen inherited upon buying the team almost 2 ½ years ago.
It would look much better if the organization didn’t let a couple of unrefined jewels find their way to other teams.
The need for more than speed
Tim Locastro was among MLB’s fastest players last season, with a sprint speed of 30.1 feet per second, but if he’s going to have an opportunity on the Mets’ major league roster this season he will have to show something more offensively.
It’s a truth of which Locastro is well aware, following a stint with the Yankees in 2021-22 in which he hit .190 and .186, respectively.
“My No. 1 job is to get on base and steal bases and score runs,” Locastro said. “That is the name of the game, score more runs than the other team.”
Locastro essentially is trying to fill the role Travis Jankowski, and later Terrance Gore, held with the club last season: somebody who can come off the bench and help the Mets steal a run. Jankowski also provided late-inning defense.
It’s a niche role, for sure — but one that becomes more important in the postseason, when teams can better afford to carry such specialists.
Locastro said the highlight of his Yankees tenure was appearing in the postseason last year.
“Such a great group of guys over there and that coaching staff and getting a feel for that,” Locastro said. “Unfortunately, we fell short, but we’re on to this year. That’s in the past and now here you want to win the World Series.”
Welcome returns
The Mets this week unveiled their list of guest instructors for spring training. It’s an All-Star cast that includes David Wright, Edgardo Alfonzo, Howard Johnson, Mookie Wilson and Darryl Strawberry, but Buck Showalter seems most intrigued by having Al Leiter and John Franco for the final week of camp. Both left-handers have outgoing personalities and connected well with the team’s pitchers previously. Leiter was in camp last season and left a strong impression on Showalter. Franco is returning for the first time in several years, after distancing himself from the organization for a stretch.
Party in the U-S-A
Kodai Senga was asked Thursday if he’s having any fun away from the baseball field during his initial spring training in the U.S.
“Everything is a lot of fun,” he said. “Just being in the States is something I have always looked forward to, so since this has become a reality for me, everything has been really fun for me.”
When a reporter told Senga that if he thought Port St. Lucie was “fun,” he would probably have “a lot of fun” in other places he visits.
“Gotcha,” Senga said in English.