Steven Matz Traded to the Toronto Blue Jays

The New York Mets have traded LHP Steven Matz to the Toronto Blue Jays. Matz made his debut with the Mets in 2015 but hasn’t lived up to expectations. In six seasons, Matz had a 4.35 ERA with a 31-41 record. He was plagued with injuries throughout his tenure with the team. In 2020, he had the worst year of his career with a 9.68 ERA in nine games.

Trade Details

The Blue Jays sent Sean Reid-Foley, Yennsy Diaz, and Josh Winckowski to the Mets in exchange for Matz. Sean Reid-Foley is a 25-year-old RHP who has been in the Blue Jays organization since 2014. In 2018, he made it to the big leagues and in seven games he had a 5.13 ERA. 2019 was a slightly better year for Foley, with a 4.26 ERA in nine games. 2020 was his best year in the big leagues, putting up a 1.35 ERA in only five games.

Yennsy Diaz is a 24-year-old RHP who signed with the Blue Jays as an international free agent in 2014. Diaz doesn’t have much experience in the big leagues however he has been in the Minor Leagues and Winter Leagues for a while and he’s pitched well. Aside from pitching in one Major League game in 2019, the highest he’s made it in the minors is Double-A. He had a 3.74 ERA in 2019 with Toronto’s Double-A affiliate. The final player in the deal is also a pitcher, Josh Winckowski. The 22-year-old RHP was drafted in 2016 by the Blue Jays and has been in their Minor League system ever since. The highest level he’s reached is High-A ball. He wasn’t able to play in 2020 due to the pandemic but in four seasons he put up a 3.35 ERA in 263 innings pitched.

Effects of This Trade

With the offseason ongoing, there has been a lot of speculation over what this move can mean for the Mets. Since this deal clears up $5.1 million, it may give the team a better shot at NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer. Sandy Alderson has said that he feels that Bauer would work well in New York, and there have been numerous reports of Bauer and the Mets being in contact in recent weeks. Now that Matz is gone, it could potentially be a slot for Bauer to fill in. The Mets are saving more than five million dollars with this trade.

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