The New York Mets and Houston Astros struck a trade that will send outfielder Jake Marisnick to New York, the clubs announced on Thursday. The Astros will receive two prospects from the Mets: left-handed pitcher Blake Taylor and outfielder Kenedy Corona.
Marisnick, 28, hit .233/.289/.411 with 10 home runs, 34 RBI, 16 doubles, 10 stolen bases in 120 games with the Astros last season. The right-handed batter is arbitration-eligible and projected to receive $3 million this season. Marisnick is set to enter free agency in 2021.
"Jake is an elite defender who is an incredibly smart base runner," Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said in a statement on Thursday. "Among our offseason plans was to improve defensively and he is one of the best in the game."
On paper, the trade appears to work out for both clubs involved. The Astros have a surplus of outfielders, while the Mets are in need of adding to their center field depth. Marisnick, as Van Wagenen notes, has a plus glove, but he lacks the offense to match. For that reason, Marisnick's unlikely to start in center field for the Mets. He will, however, help balance out the left-handed hitting outfield group of Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, and Jeff McNeil, all while providing strong defense.
As for the prospects the Astros will be receiving in the deal, Taylor posted a 2-3 record with 10 saves, a 2.16 ERA, 24 walks and 74 strikeouts in 40 combined relief outings last season in appearances at three minor-league levels, including Triple A. The 24-year-old left-hander was added to the Mets 40-man roster on Nov. 4. In Corona's first professional season, he batted .301/.398/.470 with 14 doubles, four triples, five homers, 19 stolen bases and an .868 OPS in 63 games of rookie ball.
