The Mets are starting to look very different.
After a frenzy of trade deadline deals selling off the team’s expiring contracts and aging talent, the latest Met to be shipped off is three-time Cy Young winner and future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, who is heading back to the Astros for two highly touted outfield prospects.
As the 50-55 Mets have clearly decided they will not try to make a playoff push in 2023, the team has restocked its farm system, which was ranked No. 11 entering the deadline, per Fangraphs.
Verlander, 40, will be sent to Houston along with about $53 million to slide into an Astros rotation that will happily welcome back his playoff pedigree and 3.15 ERA in 94.1 innings this year.
After dealing an ace such as Verlander, the Mets have to recoup some value on his two-year, $86 million contract, that also has a vesting option for 2025.
So who are the prospects headed to the Mets’ farm system in the Verlander trade?
Drew Gilbert
Drew Gilbert, a 22-year-old lefty outfielder in Double-A who is the Astros’ No. 1 prospect, headlines the team’s return.
Gilbert was Houston’s first-round selection in the 2022 MLB Draft, selected No. 28 overall.
He is a 5-foot-9 center fielder from the University of Tennessee who enjoyed no shortage of heroics in college and has impressed during limited time in the minors.
The athletic outfielder tore up High-A Asheville this season before earning a promotion to Double-A Corpus Christi, slashing .360/.421/.686 with six homers in 21 games, prompting the move up a level.
Two years ago, Gilbert hit four home runs in seven playoff games to send Tennessee to the College World Series and was the best hitter on the team for most of the season.
Scouts say Gilbert, ranked by Fangraphs as the No. 49 prospect in the majors, is the type of player who can make an all-around impact.
“Gilbert is a well-rounded CF, contact approach that gives you good at-bats and uses the whole field. Above avg runner, solid defender in CF, above avg arm strength. He’s a grinder and a good all-around player, reminded me of Brett Gardner,” one evaluator told The Post’s Joel Sherman.
“Before the 2022 draft, Gilbert was written up here as a top-of-the-order catalyst, a potential 6 bat with 6 speed and table-setting skills, but 4 power. So far in pro ball, Gilbert is performing more like a do-everything player with a balanced hit and power skill set, and he moves into the Top 100 with this update,” a Fangraphs blurb on Gilbert reads.
Ryan Clifford
Though Ryan Clifford might not be as highly ranked as Gilbert, his minor league numbers prove he packs a punch as well.
Clifford is a 20-year-old lefty outfielder ranked No. 4 in the Astros’ system who has pummeled minor-league pitching, posting a .898 OPS over three levels since he was drafted in the 11th round by the Astros last year.
A 6-foot-3, 200-pound slugger, Clifford’s exit velocity numbers have impressed scouts, and his power has started to break out as of late: he has 16 home runs in 58 games in High-A.
Some evaluators tab Clifford as a first baseman over the long run, however.
“Clifford is another good prospect who has feel to hit with power. Sneaky, really good prospect, great swing, should be a good offensive 1B when all said and done,” the scout told Sherman.
The lefty’s raw power has drawn a lot of attention.
“Some of Clifford’s TrackMan data from the early portion of the season was so absurd that he merited consideration as a possible Top 100 prospect. His high-end exit velos were near the top of the scale and his contact rates were suddenly above-average,” another scouting report from Fangraphs reads.
However, Clifford still has a considerable amount of swing-and-miss in his offensive profile, striking out nearly 25 percent of the time against pitching in High-A Asheville.
Clifford was regarded as one of the better high-school hitters in the 2022 draft class, but a poor showcase performance and his commitment to Vanderbilt contributed to his 11th-round selection.
“While Clifford possesses just fringy speed and could slow down as he gets stronger, he works hard to improve his quickness and defense. His reads and routes need to improve but he has solid arm strength and should be able to get the job done on an outfield corner,” MLB Pipeline says.
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