According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mets have acquired right-handed pitcher Bobby Wahl and third base prospect Will Toffey from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for closer Jeurys Familia.
The A’s are absorbing all of Familia’s remaining $3 million. New York is also getting $1 million in bonus pool money.
Mets’ assistant general manager John Ricco wished Familia well in a press release put out by the team.
“Juerys has been a vital member of our organization ever since we signed him in 2007. We wish him well in Oakland.”
Familia, 28, was an All-Star in 2016 and led the majors with 51 saves. He has a 2.66 earned-run average, a 2.93 fielding independent pitching rating, 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings, and a 1.211 WHIP during his seven years in New York.
Bobby Wahl, 26, debuted with the A’s in 2017 and appeared in seven games for them that year, registering a 4.70 ERA. He was originally drafted by Oakland in the fifth round of the 2013 draft.
This year at Triple-A, Wahl has logged a 2.27 ERA in 34 games pitched. He is not currently ranked in Oakland’s top-30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline.
Toffey, 23, was drafted by the A’s in the fourth round of last year’s MLB draft. He has played exclusively at High-A Stockton in 2018, hitting .244/.357/.384 with five home runs and 32 RBI. According to MLB Pipeline, Toffey is the No. 17 prospect in Oakland’s system.
The Mets’ released quotes from all three legs of the tripod at the helm of their front office; John Ricco, as well as special assistants J.P. Ricciardi and Omar Minaya.
“This trade hits three major areas,” Ricco said. “We got a major league ready reliever our scouts recommended, a position player who was a high selection from the 2017 draft and strong prospect in the A’s system, as well as receiving international bonus pool money to help in the future.”
“I think very highly of Toffey,” Ricciardi added. “He’s got great strike zone discipline, gap-to-gap power, and is a solid defender.”
Former Mets general manager Omar Minaya weighed in on the $1 million in bonus pool money the team acquired.
“The Mets have been aggressive internationally the last two years. this extra bonus pool money will be extremely helpful in acquiring potential top-flight talent.”
Going forward, Mets’ manager Mickey Callaway told Tim Healey of Newsday that he’d “prefer to use a closer-by-committee system”, instead of designating just one ninth-inning guy now that Familia is out of the picture.
