The New York Mets might not be a few wins away from clinching a playoff spot without the help of prospect Luisangel Acuna. Yet, the talented rookie was nearly sent packing before this year’s MLB trade deadline.
This has been a far more fun summer than Mets fans expected. The team has been competitive for much of the season. And has delivered a strong second half that has them on the cusp of reaching the playoffs. A huge part of the team’s success in 2024 has been MVP candidate Francisco Lindor.
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Yet, just when the Mets needed him most, he suffered an unfortunate back injury and has been sidelined for most of the last two weeks. Understandably, New York fans feared his absence could sink their season. However, like a gift from above, rookie Luisangel Acuna was promoted when Lindor went down and has played like an All-Star for his 10 games in the league.
The brother of Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuna has a .375 average, a 1.175 OPS, has smacked three home runs, knocked in six RBIs, and scored six runs in less than a dozen games at the big league level. He has been a revelation. But he was close to wearing a different uniform in August.
- Luisangel Acuna stats (2024): .375 AVG, 1.175 OPS, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R
New York Mets were close to trading Luisangel Acuna this summer
“Rival execs suggest Acuna was the highest-ranked prospect the Mets were seriously listening on at the deadline. Wisely, they didn’t trade him,” New York Post MLB insider Jon Heyman reported Tuesday.
After being among the top prospects in the New York Mets organization to end last season, an up-and-down season in 2024 led to him dropping out of the top 10 on MLB.com. It’s probably why they considered trading him. “The belief of team execs now is that he’s a player who prefers the big stage, where they find themselves,” Heyman added about the player team officials have reportedly called a “blessing.”
The player the Mets acquired in last summer’s Max Scherzer trade has a 1.000 slugging percentage over the last week. That is better than almost every player in the league except MVP favorite Shohei Ohtani.
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