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New York Mets Acquire Tyler Clippard From Oakland Athletics

By Kenneth Teape

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The New York Mets completed another trade heading into the MLB deadline, this time acquiring some pitching help. They traded for right-handed reliever Tyler Clippard from the Oakland Athletics. Going to Oakland is farmhand Casey Miesner.

The 30-year old Clippard will be pitching for the fourth team in his career after beginning it with the New York Yankees then going onto the Washington Nationals and Athletics. Coincidentally, those were the two teams in the running to acquire Clippard before the Mets were able to complete a deal.

On the season, Clippard has solid numbers from the naked eye. He has 17 saves with a 2.79 ERA and 1.19 WHIP for the struggling Athletics. But, taking a deeper look paints a little bleaker of a picture. His strikeout rate, walks per nine innings and groundball rate are all going in the wrong direction. He has been able to keep his numbers down because of a strong stranded runner rate, but also a .212 BABIP, which will be tough for him to continue in the second half of the season.

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It paints a picture of a player that could see a regression, but Clippard brings much needed experience to the Mets bullpen. He becomes one of their more seasoned players, having almost as much playoff experience as the rest of the Mets’ bullpen combined. Also, he is the fourth legitimate closing option the Mets can turn to, as Jeurys Familia, Jenrry Mejia and Bobby Parnell also have experience at the end of games. They all may be right-handed, but it will enable Terry Collins to mix and match a bit at the end of games and help keep his better arms rested for the stretch run. Also, because of Mejia’s suspension, he is ineligible for the postseason, so Clippard gives them insurance there.

This was a nice addition for the Mets not only because it helps them in the immediate, but also it hurts one of the teams they are chasing down in the Nationals. The Nationals have been looking for help at the backend of their bullpen, and now will have to pony up more of a package if they really want to make a splash acquiring someone such as Aroldis Chapman or Craig Kimbrel.

This trade also indicates just how strong the Mets farm system is. Meisner was the 15th rated prospect in the Mets system, which shows how deep the system is that people are not looking at this as a huge price to pay for a player that can become a free agent after the season. He has shown promise, going 10-4 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 starts, but is an expendable piece as the Mets have plenty of arms to rely on in the starting rotation.

This is a solid pickup for the Mets as they help shore up the back end of their bullpen. They may not have acquired big named players in their recent trades, but like Clippard, Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe fill a role. Sandy Alderson has done well thus far leading into the deadline, and it would not be surprising to see him acquire one more bat prior to Friday’s deadline.

Next: 5 players the Mets could trade

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