The New York Mets may have struck out in their attempt to land free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker, but that doesn’t mean the Mets aren’t spending money.
The Mets spent heavily on their international draft class this year, and to compensate they’ve traded pitcher Franklin Gomez to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for $1.5 million of international pool space, according to Darragh McDonald of MLBTradeRumors.com via Mike Mayer of MetsMerized.com.
Given that it’s all about the money, this deal requires a bit of explanation. This week represented the start of the 2026 international signing period, and each team is allocated a specific amount of money for signings. This year the amount is from $5-9 million, with the Mets allocated $5.4 million, while the Guardians got $8.03 million due to their status as a small-market team.
Teams are allowed to increase their pool size by up to 60 percent, and for the Mets this bump allows them to fulfill verbal agreements with prospects like shortstop Wandy Asigen, who chose the Mets over the New York Yankees when he signed for $3.9 million.
As for the Guardians, they get an actual pitcher in this deal. Gomez is a 20-year old Venezuelan hurler who was also an international signee a few years ago, and according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America, he’s on the right track, career-wise. His velocity rose into the low 90s this past season, and he had an ERA of just 2.76 while splitting the season between Single A and High A.
Gomez is also something of a ground-ball specialist, which makes him an anomaly with his 48.4 percent rate of induced grounders. He’s rated the 22nd best prospect in the Mets system, and right now he projects as a starter.
The Mets already have plenty of young starters who are ready to start their careers at Citi Field next year, while the Guardians have a reputation for drafting, grabbing and developing low-cost prospects. As such, this deal fits the profile for both teams, and as a 20-year old, Gomez is already a few rungs up the minor league ladder, unlike most of the international signees who are 16-18.
This is the kind of deal that will take a few years to evaluate. Asigen is a high-profile prospect in this year’s draft class, and he’ll make a big splash in the New York market if he’s successful. Gomez could see the majors sooner in a significant role, though, so that’s the gamble here being played by both teams.