What the Mets gave up for Jake Marisnick

The Mets have acquired their specified type of player - a right-handed, defensively excellent CF - in Jake Marisnick. To do so they moved a couple players not near the top of the prospect radar to the Astros.

LHP Blake Taylor

2019 (at AA): 18 G (0 GS), 39.0 IP, 1.85/2.61/3.31 ERA/FIP/DRA, 28.7%/7.6% K/BB%, 50.5% GB%

The 24 year old Taylor is a remnant of the Ike Davis trade, and was added to the 40-man roster this winter to avoid Rule-5 selection and minor league free agency. After hitting a wall as a starter, the Mets finally moved him full-time to the bullpen in 2019, where he saw his numbers take off. Taylor works in the low-90s with his fastball, pushing 95 at times and inducing groundballs at a high rate. He pairs it with a solid curveball with a high spin rate, and successfully parlayed his shorter outings into better strikeout numbers, with lower walk rates to boot. He would’ve been in the conversation for an opening day roster spot, as he’s been reasonably capable against both LHH and RHH through the minors. He had seven solid outings in the Arizona Fall League this year to cap off his season, potentially helping the Mets showcase him for a trade just like this.

With the three-batter minimum rule looming for 2020, Taylor is the type of lefty teams will likely favor over the elite LOOGY type, but a decent 24-year-old lefty reliever with a single third of an inning in AAA is not a player a 40-man spot needs to be cleared out for with haste. Between their acquisition of Stephen Gonsalves, the presence of Justin Wilson and Daniel Zamora on the 40-man, and several LHP prospects in AA and AAA, Taylor was not a priority.

OF Kenedy Corona

2019 (at DSL, GSL, & A-): 63 G, 263 PA, .301/.398/.470 combined through the levels

Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, the Mets signed outfielder Kenedy Corona near the end of the 2018-2019 international signing period, on April 6, 2019. An older signing, he made his professional debut with the Dominican Summer League Mets and hit .292/.382/.462 with 8 stolen bases, 9 walks, and 9 strikeouts in 17 games with them. He was promoted to the GSL Mets in early July and spent most of the rest of the season there, hitting .311/.401/.483 with 5 homers, 11 stolen bases, 17 walks, and 25 strikeouts in 42 games. He was promoted to the Brooklyn Cyclones at the end of the year and got into four games with them, going hitless in six plate appearances with three walks and two strikeouts.

Corona is a bit undersized, at 5’11”, 185-pounds but he has not let that slow him down so far in his career. Crouching over the plate with his hands held low, Corona does not have a single stand out tool, but rather, has shown a solid ability to hit for power, hit for average, and run the bases for someone with his level of experience. His eye, and strike zone recognition has been particularly good for a player on his developmental track. An outfielder, the Mets have used him in all three positions, with most of his playing time in center due to his above-average speed.