Mets Side of the Deal
The New York Mets have traded for veteran right-hander Chris Bassitt. In the deal, prospects J.T. Ginn and Adam Oller are headed to the Oakland A’s. Bassitt made his debut in Chicago with the White Sox in 2014. He was then traded to the A’s, where he’s excelled over the years. Bassitt’s best season came in 2020, where he posted a 2.29 ERA over 11 starts.
He continued his success in 2021, going 12–4 with a 3.15 ERA over 27 starts. One notable aspect of this deal for New York is that he is only under team control for one season. Regardless, Bassitt is an important addition to an already impressive rotation. As we have seen, the old saying that a team never has too much pitching has proven to be true, especially in Queens. Bassitt has the potential to provide some much needed relief to a rotation that could deal with some health issues in ’22.
A’s Side of the Deal
Although Oakland parted ways with Bassitt who has shown to be a reliable arm, they have not come away empty in this deal. J.T. Ginn was ranked as the Mets’ fifth best prospect. He was drafted in the second round of the 2020 draft, and because of that he only has one Minor League season under his belt. He impressed in 2021, posting a record of 5–5 with a 3.03 ERA. In July of 2021, Ginn was promoted to High-A ball. It may take a bit for Ginn to reach the big leagues, but nobody can argue the potential he has.
The other prospect in the deal is Adam Oller. Oller is 27-years old and was drafted back in 2016 by the Pittsburgh Pirates. After the 2018 season, Oller was contemplating retirement. He had been released by the Pirates and was feeling down about baseball. His parents convinced him to give it one more year.
He ended up playing in an independent league, but found his way back to MLB with the San Francisco Giants. The Mets would end up selecting him in the Rule 5 draft, and he quickly jumped up the ranks in the minors during the 2021 season. He was promoted to Triple-A in the latter half of ’21. In his eight games in Triple-A, he posted a 2.45 ERA. His overall ERA in ’21 was 3.45. Despite his age, Oller has shown that he has the talent to excel in the minors, and perhaps in the majors soon.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
