The Mets had a big trade deadline, adding three late-inning relievers and center fielder Cedric Mullinsto a team that is looking to hold off the Phillies for the NL East title.
One thing they didn't do? Add a starting pitcher to a rotation that has some question marks, including Clay Holmes' workload and Frankie Montas' effectiveness.
Speaking after the deadline passed, president of baseball operations David Stearns discussed his reasoning, explaining that while the Mets were engaged in the market for starting pitchers, they felt they took the best course of action while addressing the bullpen.
None of the pitchers with frontline potential who were rumored to be on the block were actually moved — a list that included Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins, Joe Ryan of the Twins, and Dylan Cease of the Padres.
The best pitcher who was traded was pending free agent Merrill Kelly, and it took a strong package of prospects for the Rangers to pry him away from the Diamondbacks.
With that as a backdrop, Stearns talked about what the Mets have in-house if a need arises — namely top prospectsBrandon SproatandNolan McLean, who are with Triple-A Syracuse.
"They can help. It’s just a matter of their continued development and when the opportunity does arise, is it the right time," Stearns said. "Both guys have taken very nice steps forward in their development.
"We’re going to continue to challenge them. We’re going to continue to ask them to get better and work on things. They are doing a good job. If we need someone from Triple-A, we’ve got people down (there) and they are among them who can help us."
Shortly after Stearns spoke, Sproat took the mound for Syracuse and fired five dominant shutout innings.
In his five innings of work, Sproat allowed three hits, walked three, and struck out nine while throwing 95 pitches. He induced 15 swings and misses, and his fastball topped out at 100 mph.
Thursday's start was the continuation of a lockdown run for Sproat, who has allowed just three runs over his last six starts — a span of 33.0 innings. During that stretch, Sproat has given up only 16 hits while striking out 39 batters.
Meanwhile, McLean continued to impress in his most recent start, allowing two runs on three hits in 6.0 innings while walking three and striking out six.
That came on the heels of a 7.1 inning performance on July 24 when McLean gave up two runs on four hits while walking none and fanning six.
Sproat and McLean will very likely seriously impact the Mets next season, but — as Stearns noted — it's their ability to possibly do so this season that helped color New York's decision to not add starting pitching at the deadline.
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