The New York Mets have traded their player Eduardo Escobar to the Los Angeles Angels for Prairie Coleman Crowe and Landon Marceau, the two teams announced Friday. Here’s what you need to know:

• Escobar was in his second season with the Mets. In 2023, he slashed .236/.286/.409 with four home runs and 16 RBI.
• Crow has a 1.88 ERA with 24 innings pitched in 2023 for the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas. Marco is 3-6 this season with the Trash Pandas, posting a 4.88 ERA with 59 runs pitched.
• Entering Friday, the Mets are 34-40, and are fourth in the National League East. The Angels are 41-35, and are third in the American League West.

the athleteInstant Analysis:

Why did the Mets make this move?

For a while now, Steve Cohen, Billy Epler, and the Mets have been talking about building a sustainable winner in Queens. With the major league club struggling hard this season and Escobar’s role diminishing, the Mets saw an opportunity to bring in some minor league talent, and were willing to cover Escobar’s salary for the rest of the season to do so.

“The Angels had a need,” said Eppler, “and we had a little excess.” “It’s a testament to Steve and his commitment to the scheme here. …. We wouldn’t get these players if Steve didn’t cover the money.”

(This is a marked change from how the Mets operated consistently under Wilpons late last decade, when they didn’t collect money from players they traded away.)

Even as a backup, Escobar has been a useful player for the Mets—his total of 897 tackles over the past two months—and so they’ll be counting on someone younger to step in. It could be Marc Vientos, who was just sent down over the weekend. – Breton

Does this indicate that Mets will be a seller?

While the timing here is surprising, it’s too early to view this as the first sale of a month for the current Mets roster. The Angels started the business conversation because of their needs on the field, and the Mets were willing to listen because of their other options to fill Escobar’s role.

New York still has another month to make a firmer decision on deadline plans. – Breton

Why Los Angeles made the trade

The Angels made this trade due to a slew of injuries over the past 10 days. The team lost Gio Orchilla for the season. Anthony Rendon is out with a sore wrist. And Zach Nieto first started dealing with an oblique injury. The Angels wanted a third proven businessman to start in the near future and act as an insurance option for the much injured Rendon. The Angels are desperate to win this season, and felt they had to make a move to stay in the competition. – bloom

The Angels look like deadline buyers

The loss of Marco and Crowe is not unrelated to Angels. They rank in the top 20 potential prospects. Crow’s profile has risen steadily in the organization over the years since he was taken in the 28th round with a value above the slot. Marco has a 4.88 ERA in 59 innings this year at Double-A. The Angels hope to become buyers at the deadline, and this trade affects their ability to acquire more players before August 1st. – bloom

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(Photo: Jon Jones/USA Today)