The New York Mets have made a big move in the MLB offseason, acquiring right-handed pitchers Chris Flexen and Trevor Gott from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for left-handed pitcher Zach Muckenhirn.
Flexen, 25, was a 12th round pick of the Mets in 2014 and has had a successful minor league career. He made his major league debut in 2017 and has since gone 7-11 with a 5.55 ERA in parts of three seasons with the Mets. He was traded to the Mariners in 2019 and went 1-2 with a 4.98 ERA in 10 appearances (nine starts) last season.
Gott, 27, was a sixth round pick of the Angels in 2015 and has had an up-and-down career in the majors. He made his major league debut in 2017 and has since gone 5-4 with a 4.67 ERA in parts of four seasons with the Angels and Mariners. He was traded to the Mariners in 2019 and went 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 14 appearances (one start) last season.
Muckenhirn, 24, was a sixth round pick of the Mets in 2017 and has had a successful minor league career. He made his major league debut in 2020 and went 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in five appearances (one start) last season.
The Mets are hoping that Flexen and Gott can help bolster their pitching staff for the 2021 season. Flexen has shown promise in the majors and Gott has been a reliable reliever throughout his career. Muckenhirn is still young and has potential, but the Mets felt he was expendable given their current roster.
Only time will tell if this trade works out for both teams, but it looks like the Mets have made a savvy move to improve their pitching staff for next season.
