Mets get Tyler Naquin and Phillip Diehl in trade with Reds

The Mets have acquired outfielder Tyler Naquin and left-handed pitcher Phillip Diehl from the Reds, and they’ll send minor league players Hector Rodríguez and Jose Acuña to the Reds in return.

The 31-year-old Naquin is set to hit free agency following this season, during which he has hit .245/.305/.429 with a 98 wRC+, six home runs, and three stolen bases. Having spent several seasons playing in Cleveland, he had been with the Reds since the start of the 2021 season, and over the course of his major league career, he’s hit .269/.323/.450 with a 103 wRC+.

Diehl has limited major league experience, as he’s thrown a total of nineteen innings in appearances that ranged from the 2019 season through this one. He has a 9.47 ERA in that time in the bigs, and he has a 4.24 ERA in 23.1 innings in Triple-A this year.

Neither of the minor leaguers the Mets are giving up in the deal ranked in our list of the team’s top 25 prospects ahead of the 2022 season, though Acuña garnered one vote in that process from Thomas Henderson.

To make room for Naquin on the 40-man roster, the Mets designated right-handed pitcher R.J. Alvarez for assignment.