Mets trade Jeff McNeil to the Athletics

Per multiple reports, the Mets sent utility player Jeff McNeil, along with $5.75 million, to the Oakland Athletics for minor league pitcher Yordan Rogriguez. The Mets are also on the hook for McNeil’s $2 million buyout for 2027 if the team does not pick up his option.

McNeil, who debuted with the club in 2018 and is entering his age 34 season, was the longest tenured Met on the roster after the trade of Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers earlier this offseason. He’s a career .284/.351/.428 hitter with 80 home runs and an OPS+ of 117.

The Mets career of McNeil was, in a word, inconsistent. In 2022, he was a batting champion, hitting .326. In both years surrounding that season, he was at or below league average with the bat. He was a two-time All-Star who hit 23 home runs in one season and never got more than 12 in another. He didn’t strike out much, but he never walked much either. He was a versatile fielder but didn’t excel at any one position.

2025 was a fairly representative year for McNeil, where he was a slightly above league average offensive but one without a real home on the diamond. This season, McNeil played 79 games at second base, 34 games in center field, ten in left field, seven in right field, and two at first base. His versatility is maybe his greatest strength, but with Marcus Semien now manning second and a desire for a more defensively solid center fielder, there likely weren’t enough at-bats for McNeil on the team to justify his $15.750 million salary.

There are other factors besides his inconsistency that go into this trade as well: he recently underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, which may impact his game in a number of ways. McNeil also twice was rumored to have had altercations with Francisco Lindor, and so there may have be a personality conflict that the Mets wanted to mitigate. It’s important to note that those concerns have never been publicly addressed by either player, and may be a misrepresentation of the situation by the press. But David Stearns and the front office have been clear about their desire to change both the culture and the core of the team, and trading McNeil, whether you agree with the move or not, addresses both parts of that desire.

McNeil also gained some notoriety for challenging the quick mute function of SNY broadcast truck, as he would frequently slam his bat/helmet to the ground while shouting out one of the seven words you can’t say on television.

Yordan Rodriguez is a 17-year old right-handed pitcher out of Cuba who made eight appearances for the Athletics’ Dominican Summer League team, putting up a 2.93 ERA in 15.1 innings with 20 strikeouts. This is the Mets taking a flyer on a very young player.