Grading the New York Mets' 2014 Trade Deadline Performance

While some teams were wheeling and dealing for major league talent and/or prospects during the month of July, the Mets decided to be quiet at the trade deadline. As a result, the team did not make any trades at all right before the deadline.

Could a great opportunity to make a useful trade have happened? That seemed certainly possible, but Mets general manager Sandy Alderson ultimately decided to not make any moves until at least the offseason.

As a result, the only notable trade the Mets have made all season occurred back in April, when they sent first baseman Ike Davis to the Pirates for minor league pitchers Zack Thornton and (eventually) Blake Taylor. 

Kathy Willens/Associated Press/Associated Press

Did this trade end up helping the Mets? In a way, it did. As a National League team, the Mets do not have the luxury of having a designated hitter all the time. The Mets had to choose between Davis or current first baseman Lucas Duda to start every day. They ultimately went with Duda, who has been having the better season between the two. 

While Duda is hitting .262 with 19 home runs and 60 RBI, Davis is hitting .247 with only six home runs and 28 RBI.

Thornton and Taylor both have yet to make the major leagues, so it's probably too early to really judge this trade on the Mets' end, but simply because Duda has hit considerably better than Davis this season, the Mets look to have done well with this trade.

Hopefully, Alderson can put together more good trades for the Mets this offseason.

Grade: B+