(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The New York Mets traded star pitcher Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers on Saturday night.
To waive his no-trade clause, both teams agreed to guarantee Scherzer’s 2024 option worth $43.3 million, with the Mets covering the majority of that amount and also a sizable portion of the remaining of his 2023 salary.
Because the Mets are paying for most of Scherzer’s contract, the Rangers agreed to send one of their best prospects to New York: Luisangel Acuna.
Acuna is now the Mets’ best and most promising prospect, which should make the fact the Mets traded David Robertson and Scherzer a bit more palatable.
Not only that, but he is actually not that far from the majors: he is putting up solid numbers in Double-A, which makes a 2024 MLB debut a real possibility.
Prospects analyst Chris Clegg provided an insightful analysis on Acuna as a player.
“I’m a big fan of Luisangel Acuña. He’s an incredible glove at SS and a strong athlete. Makes decent enough contact despite his aggressiveness(74% con/49% swing). I’ve seen some massive BP sessions from Acuña but he is still tapping into it in games. 7 HR/42 SB. .315/.377/.453,” he tweeted.
I’m a big fan of Luisangel Acuña. He’s an incredible glove at SS and a strong athlete. Makes decent enough contact despite his aggressiveness(74% con/49% swing)
I’ve seen some massive BP sessions from Acuña but he is still tapping into it in games. 7 HR/42 SB. .315/.377/.453
— Chris Clegg (@RotoClegg) July 29, 2023
That slash line is impressive, almost as much as his incredible speed on the basepaths and his defensive play.
The Mets are taking a gamble on him developing more in-game power.
If that’s the case, he could be a true MLB star.
The consensus among analysts is that he doesn’t have the kind of ceiling his brother Ronald has, but there is no shame in that: just a handful of prospects and players have it.
If he develops and makes the most of his abilities, Acuna could be a 20-40 player at peak with good defense, and those prospects don’t grow on trees.
This is an excellent get for the Mets.
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