Mets get Miguel Castro from Orioles in trade

Slipping in under the wire, the Mets acquired right handed reliever Miguel Castro from the Orioles shortly before the trade deadline this afternoon. In return, the Mets sent left hand pitcher Kevin Smith to Baltimore along with a player to be named later or cash considerations.

On the surface, Castro doesn’t appear to be a big upgrade for the Mets’ bullpen. In 274 innings spread over six major league seasons, he’s run a 4.30 ERA with unimpressive peripherals. Despite that lengthy track record, Castro is still only 25 and has three years of team control remaining. More importantly, he’s had something of a breakout this season, running a career high 13.79 K/9 and a career low 2.96 DRA (61 DRA-). His ERA is inflated by a .378 BABIP and a 27.3% HR/FB, both of which should be due for some positive regression.

Smith ranked 12th on our preseason top-25 list. A command and control lefty, he profiled as a potential back-end starter or middle reliever after something of a breakout 2019. He has a profile that often struggles in the upper minors which would have made sometime in Double-A or Triple-A this season very informative, but those looks have obviously been unavailable this year. Overall, it’s a fine price to pay for a young, cost-controlled reliever with an intriguing skill set, albeit one with some warts.