On Friday the New York Mets made a trade with the division-rival Atlanta Braves that sent a couple of veterans to New York and a couple of prospects to Atlanta.
General manager Sandy Alderson acquired third baseman Juan Uribe and outfielder Kelly Johnson from the Braves in exchange for minor league pitchers John Gant and Rob Whalen, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
ESPN Insider Jim Bowden was the first to report the discussions between the two teams on Friday afternoon and then Jon Heyman of CBS Sports confirmed the official trade.
While this isn't the blockbuster deal many were expecting, these two additions will certainly help the Mets lineup in terms of depth and offensive production. Uribe is having a solid season and was batting .274/.332/.410 with 23 runs scored, 8 home runs and 23 RBIs in 76 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Braves. He can give the Mets some flexibility in the infield and play third base as the team is still in need of depth at the position with David Wright's injury.
On the other hand, Johnson can play both second base and outfield, which helps the Mets with their situation in left field (unless Michael Conforto remains with the team beyond the trade deadline). Johnson also provides power to the Mets' weak lineup. He was batting .275/.321/.451 with 20 runs scored, 9 home runs and 34 RBIs in 62 games with the Braves.
New York was able to make a trade without giving up coveted prospects. Gant is a 22-year-old right-hander was 4-5 with a 4.70 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 11 starts with Double-A Binghamton. Whale, 21, is also a right-hander and has spent the entire season with Class A Advanced St. Lucie. He was 4-5 with a 3.36 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 15 games (14 starts) this season.
Alderson is still likely to make another deal before the July 31 deadline, so don't be surprised if the Mets land another hitter within the next week.
