Luisangel Acuña. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

On Saturday night, the New York Mets made a huge move by trading starting pitcher Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers. After a long day of negotiations, mainly centered around Scherzer’s commitment to opting into his player option for the 2024 season, the Mets and Rangers finally agreed on the framework of the deal.

In exchange for the future Hall of Fame pitcher, the Mets received MLB Pipeline Top-100 (#44) prospect Luisangel Acuña. The Mets are also sending over $35 million towards Scherzer’s salary for the rest of this season and the next.

Acuña, 21, is the brother of Braves’ superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. He was signed as an international free agent by the Texas Rangers during the 2018 international signing period for $425,000. He is a right-handed batter, and his primary position is shortstop. However, there is strong believe he can also settle in at second base or in center field. He is expected to reach the major league level during the 2024 season.

Although the Mets have not formally announced where he will begin, it is likely that Acuña will report to Double-A Binghamton once the trade goes through.

This season, he is slashing .315/.377/.453 with seven home runs, 51 RBIs, an .830 OPS, and a 121 wRC+ in 84 games for the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders of the Texas League. His .315 batting average ranks him fourth in the Texas League among qualified hitters, while his 25 doubles rank him second in that statistic.

In addition, he has a strikeout rate of 18.9 percent and a 9.2 percent walk rate, which shows that he puts the ball in play in the large majority of his at-bats. While his walk rate has generally been higher throughout his career, it is only this season that he has seen an improvement in his strikeout percentage.

Last season, he had a 25 percent strikeout rate in 54 games at High-A, and he struck out at a 21.3-percent clip in 37 games at the Double-A level. The Mets are obviously hoping that Acuña’s dramatic decrease in strikeout rate sticks long-term, as this is one of the few kinks he still needs to work out.

Further, Acuña is able to hit against both sides at a relatively similar rate. He is batting .323/.373/.548 with a .921 OPS in 62 at-bats against left-handed pitchers, and he is hitting .313/.377/.433 with an .810 OPS in 300 at-bats against right-handed pitchers. While his sample size against left-handed pitchers is small this season, his 2022 batting line of .323/.400/.441 with an .841 OPS in 93 at-bats against southpaws backs up his ability to hit against them at an outstanding level.

He also features proficient speed with 42 stolen bases in 47 attempts. Stolen bases have come very easily for Acuña throughout his minor league career, as he has eclipsed 40 stolen bases in his previous two seasons. His combination of on-base percentage and speed could provide the Mets with a valuable asset at the top of the order in the future.

This speed has translated to Acuña’s fielding ability, as he is said to be a tremendous athlete. This athleticism makes him flexible with regards to the position at which he will be used. While he primarily plays shortstop, he has been used at center field this season.

With Francisco Lindor locked in at shortstop for the foreseeable future, it would not be surprising to see the Mets utilize Acuña at several different positions at the minor-league level to improve his skills as a utility player. They are currently doing something similar with prospect Ronny Mauricio, who has branched out from his primary position as a shortstop to play second base and left field this season for Triple-A Syracuse.

Overall, Luisangel Acuña is a blue-chip prospect that will bolster an up-and-coming farm system that the Mets have been developing. He profiles as an excellent all-around player with great versatility and minimal holes in his game. His speed is his best asset, which is supplemented by his ability to put the ball in play at a high level.

All that said, it is important to understand that Acuña is still very young, and there should not be additional pressure placed on him given the circumstances in which he was acquired. Regardless of this; it’s safe to say he is the team’s new #1 prospect.