David Stearns satisfied with Mets trade deadline results despite failing to land starting pitcher

Two out of three ain’t bad. 

The Mets approached the trade deadline with an eye toward the bullpen, center field and potentially upgrading the starting rotation.

They got their relievers first, then Thursday — hours before the deadline — acquired a center fielder by sending three minor leaguers to the Orioles for Cedric Mullins.

But any hopes of landing a rotation upgrade never reached fruition. 

Mullins, 30, is a free agent after this season.

In 91 games for the Orioles, he owned a .229/.305/.433 slash line with 15 homers, 49 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.

He also ranks in MLB’s 83rd percentile defensively with two outs above average, according to Statcast. 

“We like what he brings on both sides of the ball, the athleticism,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said on a Zoom call. “We talk a lot about ways that players can impact games that may not always show up in the box score, and we think Cedric has the ability to do a lot of that.

“We think he’s going to fit in very well with how we run the bases, how we play defense in center field, so we are excited to bring him on the team.” 

The Mets sought help at the position as Tyrone Taylor, a skilled defensive player, has struggled offensively.

Jeff McNeil has also seen action in center, but the left-handed hitting Mullins will allow him to move back to second base.

Stearns indicated that McNeil still could see outfield action and receive at-bats at DH. 

The need for a left-handed bat is impacted by Jesse Winker’s absence — the veteran outfielder was transferred to the 60-day injured list with a back strain, meaning he won’t return before mid-September. 

Luis Robert Jr. was a focal point for the Mets, according to sources, but team officials couldn’t find common ground with the White Sox on a deal for the former Gold Glove winner.

The Mets pivoted to Mullins on the same day the Phillies acquired Harrison Bader from the Twins to address a need in center field. 

The Mets gave up minor leaguers Raimon Gomez, Anthony Nunez and Chandler Marsh in the deal for Mullins.

The pitcher Nunez was the highest-rated prospect of the group at No. 14, according to MLB Pipeline. 

The deal occurred a day after the Mets fortified their bullpen with trades that landed Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley from the Giants and Cardinals, respectively.

Last week, the Mets struck a deal with the Orioles for lefty reliever Gregory Soto. 

Sandy Alcantara, Joe Ryan, MacKenzie Gore, Mitch Keller and Zac Gallen were among the notable starting pitchers who weren’t moved. 

“We were engaged, as I have said throughout,” Stearns said when asked about the starting pitching market. “There are multiple ways to build a pitching staff and we focused on the bullpen. We were really happy with the arms we were able to acquire that are going to pitch out of our pen.

“We have confidence not only in the starters who are here, who we think are competitive and are going to help us win games, but also are pleased with how some of the guys in Triple-A are progressing and we understand they could be part of the mix going forward this season.” 

Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat, two of the organization’s top pitching prospects, are the Mets’ best hopes for a boost internally, if needed. 

The rotation’s weak link has been Clay Holmes — his inability to work deep into starts has been an issue — but Stearns said he remains committed to the right-hander, who has transitioned from a reliever to starter this season. 

“Clay, from a physical standpoint, is in really good shape,” Stearns said. “I think the stuff for the most part has still been there. But we have got to get a little deeper into games. Clearly Clay knows that and he’s working hard to do that and I think we will be able to see it.” 

Stearns credited the organization’s scouting and player development for allowing the team to upgrade before the deadline without sacrificing the upper echelon of prospects. 

“I think that is the story of this deadline for us,” Stearns said. “Our amateur talent and acquisition departments and our player development group put us in position to be able to have this type of deadline where we’re able to go out and acquire players that we really think are going to help us at the major league level and not touch some really high upside players at the top of our system.”