When David Stearns joined the New York Mets earlier this offseason, he surely knew that depth was a huge must for the organization. It has been a focus thus far, and Stearns continued that trend on Wednesday night when he made a trade with his former club, the Milwaukee Brewers. Stearns sent pitching prospect Coleman Crow to the Brewers for right-handed pitcher Adrian Houser and outfielder Tyrone Taylor.
“We are excited to add Adrian and Tyrone to our team,” Stearns said in a release. “Tyrone brings a well-rounded skill set to our outfield grouping and can play all three outfield positions at a high level. Adrian is a proven Major League starter who continues to add to our rotation depth and will pitch valuable innings for us this year.”
The Mets added starting pitching depth and a fourth outfielder for the cost of a prospect who would be ranked in the 30s on my Mets prospects list that comes out next week. What the deal boils down to is the Brewers shedding salary –Houser estimated to make $5.6 million through arbitration and Taylor estimated to make $1.7 million– and their former head of baseball ops gets to reap the benefits with an owner in Steve Cohen that spends on his team.
Houser, 30, was a solid back-end starter for the Brewers in 2023, with a 4.12 ERA and 3.99 FIP in 111 1/3 innings spanning 23 appearances (21 starts). Houser has made at least 21 starts three years in a row and has a 3.94 ERA during that span. The former 69th overall pick in 2011 will be a free agent following the 2024 season.
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Taylor, 29, is coming off his worst overall offensive season in the big leagues but still managed to hit 17 doubles, 10 home runs, and steal nine bases in 243 plate appearances. Taylor had a .212 ISO (isolated slugging) in 2023 that would’ve ranked fifth on the Mets behind Pete Alonso, D.J. Stewart, Francisco Álvarez, and Francisco Lindor. One of the Mets needs this offseason certainly included power, and Taylor plays the outfield, where the Mets depth was severely lacking.
Taylor also gives the Mets speed; his 28.8 ft/sec would be the best among the current Mets roster. Defensively, Taylor can play all three outfield spots while never posting a negative Outs Above Average at any of them for a season, and his overall OAA is 14. The former second round pick is under team control through the 2026 season.
We will have profiles on Houser and Taylor this week that take a deep dive into how they can help the Mets in 2024.
Crow, 22, will likely miss the entire 2024 season following Tommy John surgery in August. The former Angels prospect –along with right-hander Landon Marceaux— was acquired by the Mets in June when they sent veteran infielder Eduardo Escobar to Los Angeles.
Stearns used the asset of Cohen’s pockets to bolster the Mets’ depth at a fraction of the cost that fifth starter and fourth outfielder types will get on the free agency market this offseason. It was a savvy move from the Mets new head of baseball ops, and it happened to be at the expense of his former team.
