Mets trade Jeff McNeil, cash for minor league pitcher: source
David Stearns effectively sent a wrecking ball to the Mets core.
The team traded former National League batting champion Jeff McNeil to the A’s on Monday, a source confirmed to the Daily News. This seems like a bigger move for the A’s than the Mets. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Amazins are only getting 17-year-old A-ball pitcher Yordan Rodriguez, a Cuban right-hander who pitched eight games in the Dominican Summer League last year, while the Mets are sending money to Sacramento.
McNeil, 33, is owed $15.75 million in 2026, the final year of his contract, and has a club option for 2027. The Mets will send $5.75 million to cover part of his salary next season and pay the $2 million buyout fee if the A’s decline to pick up his option.
The local offensive core of Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso and McNeil was dismantled. While the move may give some of the club’s younger infielders more time, it also creates another hole in the left field roster. McNeil has primarily played second base since joining the Mets’ minor league system, but his value lay in his ability to play multiple positions, including all three outfield spots. Without Nimmo, the Mets already needed a left fielder. This need is even greater today.
Carson Benge, a top prospect, was expected to compete for an Opening Day roster spot in center field, but the Mets could look to use him in left. Jared Young, a left-handed first baseman and outfielder with minor league options, will likely be the backup between Triple-A and the big leagues once again. Young hit .186 with four home runs in 23 major league games last season.
A scouting hit for the Mets at a time when they needed one, McNeil worked his way from the 12th round of the 2013 draft up through the minor league system. A Long Beach State dirtbag, McNeil embodied the philosophy of the college’s infamous baseball name by playing with a chip on his shoulder and all-out energy. He worked his way to the big leagues, breaking through in 2018 at age 26. The following season, he hit .318 with a .916 OPS to become an All-Star for the first time. He returned to the All-Star Game in 2022 en route to winning the NL batting title with a .326 average, beating Freddie Freeman on the final day of play.
The Mets rewarded him with a four-year contract extension in January 2023, but he hasn’t looked like the same player since. McNeil’s production fell in 2023 and the first half of 2024. There was speculation that the rules limiting the changeup had deprived McNeil of hits, but the Mets were never entirely sure.
Despite struggling with injuries over the past few years, McNeil still managed to find more power in 2024 and 2025, and the hits started to decline again. In Sacramento, he should be able to hit with a lot of power. The A’s will spend at least two more seasons at a Triple-A ballpark before moving to Las Vegas.
Over eight seasons, McNeil hit .284 with a .779 OPS and 80 home runs. Defensively, he played every position on the field except pitcher and catcher.
