Mets Minor League Mailbag: Could NY make a big prospect-for-prospect trade?

SNY contributors Jacob Resnick and Joe DeMayo answer fan questions in this edition of the Mets Minor League Mailbag...

@FTLO_Baseball: With Matt Allan not on the fall league roster, what is the latest update on his health and throwing status?

Jacob: Allan is not among the Mets prospects who will be playing in the Arizona Fall League next month, and one would assume that he would have been assigned there had he been healthy enough. The outlook wasn’t exactly rosy the last time we checked in, which was around June.

That means the next opportunity for Allan to pitch in games will be Spring Training in 2023, about one year from his nerve transposition surgery, about two years from his Tommy John surgery, and a remarkable three and a half years since his last game that counted — the Brooklyn Cyclones’ championship clincher in September of 2019.

This wasn’t the point of the question, but I think it’s fair to dampen some of the hype around Allan until further notice, something that has kind of gone unsaid within public Mets prospect circles. 

I don’t know exactly how many players (pitchers, especially) have gone nearly four years between competitive games and come out on the other side better off, but it can’t be a long list. Allan has age on his side (he’ll still be just 21 on Minor League Opening Day), but I’ll need to see him pitch for an extended period of time to put him back among the top prospects in the system.

@CreasyJr: Which pitcher do you expect to make the biggest jump in 2023 (injured or otherwise)?

Jacob: Let’s stick with the pitching theme with a pretty open-ended question here. I think the answer could very possibly be Allan, since the bar for him to clear is simply getting on (and staying on) the field. I’d guess he’d be able to start at High-A Brooklyn with the potential to pitch his way up to Double-A Binghamton, which I’d call a successful return to action. 

What should also be noted is that Allan will be Rule 5-eligible after the 2023 season, meaning it’s somewhat important to see him pitch at a level like Double-A ahead of making the decision to add him to the 40-man roster next winter or not.

The most likely answer is probably Dominic Hamel, a favorite of Joe’s and myself. He did well to make a full complement of starts with Brooklyn over the final two months of the High-A regular season and I see no reason why he shouldn’t open 2023 in Binghamton. 

If he gets off to a strong start there, you’d figure a promotion to Triple-A would be on the table, and once you’re there … anything is possible. He has the stuff, a really solid arsenal, and was able to go deep in games, building up to seven innings in his last two starts. Keeping his walks down will be key, and I think that’s a development focus that can unlock a solid major league starter.

@DTribuch: Tell me more about Alex Ramirez and Jake Mangum, and the state of center field in general in the system

Joe: I would say overall right now the system isn’t flooded with center fielders, but you named probably two of the best with different profiles. A couple of other center fielders in my Top 20 are 2022 draft pick Nick Morabito and recent international signing Simon Juan.

But back to your question, Ramirez right now slots in as my No. 4 prospect in the system, and he had a very exciting season as a 19-year-old who finished with High-A Brooklyn. He finished the season hitting .281/.346/.436 (.782 OPS) and showed some growth in his pitch recognition skills as the season went on. 

Ramirez flashes all five tools, even if none are at a truly elite level. Either way, a great year for Ramirez and he is a unanimous Top 100 prospect who should get to Double-A in 2023, with the potential to become one of the higher ranked prospects in all of baseball.

Mangum is someone who I have highlighted on Twitter over the past couple of weeks because it feels like every day he is either doing something at the plate, making web gems in the outfield, or both. He missed a few weeks with a back injury, but he has made his way back to Triple-A Syracuse where he is hitting .352/.388/.491 (.879 OPS) while playing all three outfield spots.

Mangum is Rule 5 eligible this offseason and he feels like a no-brainer to be added to the 40-man-roster and have the opportunity to compete for a bench spot in Spring Training. If they opt against protecting him, I would imagine he is on someone else’s 26-man-roster on Opening Day 2023.

@oneshiningmets: All of the Mets' best prospects are bats. Do you think they could and should explore a prospect-for-prospect trade for a pitcher? Thinking of Jazz Chisholm for Zac Gallen as an example.

Joe: Now this is fun. You rarely see trades like this because you don’t often have two teams that are at the same stage of competing/not competing as well as having prospects that match both value and organizational need. I would fathom the most likely scenario if the Mets are trading away prospect(s) is with the vision of improving the 2023 Mets.

Should they see if there is interest in swapping, say, a Ronny Mauricio for a different borderline Top 100 prospect who is a pitcher? I love the concept. The question becomes if there is a bigger name major leaguer who becomes available, are you better off using Mauricio (or a similar prospect) in that trade instead of swapping him for a different prospect? 

I would guess the Mets would lean towards the veteran, but I am a fan of the idea of the Mets becoming creative and unique in assembling not only their big league team, but their entire organization