Heading into this offseason, two of the New York Mets’ major objectives were to find an everyday centerfielder and to work on fortifying their leaky bullpen.
Today, by adding CF Jake Marisnick in a trade with the Houston Astros for prospects they won’t miss, they’ve covered both needs. If Marisnick is going to be the primary centerfielder for the Mets in 2020, it means Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo will strictly be corner outfielders and J.D. Davis will likely be the odd man out.
That also clouds Jeff McNeil’s status as an outfielder. He will likely be a rover, playing outfield, second base and some third base which is nothing new to McNeil.
The addition of Marisnick gives the Mets the latitude and ammunition to trade for Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Josh Hader, a former client of Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen during his days as an agent for CAA. Davis could be the piece that tilts the deal in the Mets’ favor.
The Mets will miss Davis but Marisnick gives them more of what they need in terms of being a total player plus, in Hader, the steady bullpen star they hoped they were getting with Edwin Diaz.  The 25-year old Hader has a 2.52 ERA over the past two seasons with 281 strikeouts over 157 innings.
It will likely take more than Davis to land Hader, however, but that won’t deter BVW. He has no qualms with trading away any of the Mets’ prospects who the previous regime invested in. He is building the organization with his own people od which Hader is one.