Those 22 hits and a .565 OPS from Cedric Mullins came at quite the cost.
Righty pitcher Anthony Nunez, sent from the Mets to the Orioles in the ill-fated Mullins trade last summer, is thriving in his first stint in the majors, posting 1.35 ERA spanning 13 ⅓ innings across 12 games.
He’s averaging 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
The Mets acquired Mullins to fill their center-field void last summer and he did not provide much help, slashing .182/.284/.565 across 42 games and 143 plate appearances while the team missed the playoffs.
The veteran posted a .738 OPS with 15 homers and 49 RBIs for the Orioles before the trade, while contributing just two homers and 10 RBIs with the Mets.
Those 42 games cost the Mets a trio of lesser-known prospects in Nunez, Chandler Marsh and Raimon Gomez.
Nunez, 24, was ranked the highest among the group and emerged as a reliever after previously serving as a position player.
He posted a 2.86 ERA across 49 appearances spanning all three levels, striking out 83 batters in 56 2/3 innings.
Nunez told reporters he expected to open the year in the minors after being optioned to minors camp early in spring training, but an injury opened the door for Nunez.
He since pitched like he doesn’t want to spend any time in Triple-A.
While 12 major-league games is obviously a small sample size, he’s become a trusted member of the Orioles bullpen, routinely pitching in the seventh and eighth innings.
He notched his first save on April 22 against the Royals by striking out a pair to seal an 8-6 win.
The Mets could use a reliever like Nunez in their bullpen right now due to a lack of quality options, especially with Devin Williams struggling and Luke Weaver battling inconsistency at times.
“It’s a dream come true,” Nunez said after making his big-league debut, per MLB.com. “I’m excited to be able to showcase that to the world.”
He added: “It’s been a ridiculous journey. Everything that’s happened in my career has led to this point. There’s been a lot of sacrifices and a lot of hardships, and it’s just a lot of gratitude that I have in my heart.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
