2:22 pm: The Mets have announced the trade.
2:06 pm: The Mets have agreed to a deal acquiring left-hander Anthony Banda from the Giants in exchange for minor league third baseman Will Toffey, reports Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
Banda, 27, was once one of the game’s top pitching prospects but has battled injuries and begun to bounce around the league in journeyman fashion. He’s spent the 2021 season with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, where he’s struggled to a 6.86 ERA with a 22.2 percent strikeout rate, a 9.5 percent walk rate and a 50 percent ground-ball rate. Most of the damage done against Banda in 2021 has come in three outings (a pair of six-run drubbings and a particularly rough seven-run game).
It hasn’t been a great year for Banda, but the same can be said of the 26-year-old Toffey, who has posted just a .178/.317/.386 batting line with a sky-high 38 percent strikeout rate in 123 Double-A plate appearances. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranked him 28th among Mets farmhands heading into the season, noting that he’s a solid defender at the hot corner with a plus arm but questioning his lack of power and bat speed.
In Banda, the Mets will get a lefty with some big league experience — 51 1/3 innings, 5.96 ERA, 3.67 FIP — to help shore up their depth after a staggering number of pitching injuries have taken their toll on the organization. The Giants, meanwhile, are buying low on a prospect of a bit of note. Toffey has batted just .220 and slugged .379 in parts of three Double-A seasons, but his keen eye at the plate has produced a .354 OBP at that generally pitcher-friendly level.
Not gonna lie, was pretty excited when the Giants acquired Banda. Hopefully he can turn a corner in New York.
Three games, 20 runs. That’s bad. might as well bring back Abad.
Abad was abad too
*Elton John voice*
Hold me closer Tony Banda
*Paul McCartney voice*
Banda on the mound. Banda on the mound…
Banda’s prospect ratings were like a candle in the wind.
His wings will be clipped by next week when he gets cut and us again on the run
he’ll star in the new version of Taxi. Tony Danza role?
Involved in the trade equivalent of some kid who doesn’t want to eat his vegetables.
February 20, 2018: Traded as part of a 3-team trade by the Arizona Diamondbacks with players to be named later to the Tampa Bay Rays. The New York Yankees sent Taylor Widener to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The New York Yankees sent Nick Solak to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Tampa Bay Rays sent Steven Souza Jr. to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Arizona Diamondbacks sent Brandon Drury to the New York Yankees. The Arizona Diamondbacks sent Sam McWilliams (minors) (May 1, 2018) and Colin Poche (May 1, 2018) to the Tampa Bay Rays to complete the trade.
The Mets were apparently big fans of that trade though, since they’ve now independently acquired half of the players involved in that trade just this year.
LOL. Wow, have projected value and actual performance have shown you can’t project even 3 years into the future that well. Win some trades, lose some, and some just fizzle.
So the Mets basically traded Familia for Keon Broxton (Bobby Wahl) and Anthony Banda (Toffey) back in 2018, then turned around and gave Familia a horrible contract to come back and largely pitch terribly. 3-D chess.
Familia has been better lately than when he first came back, but he’ll be a free agent after the year is over. I guess there’s an outside chance his expiring contract could be used as a minor offset if they do trade for Donaldson.
He’s already on the Braves isn’t he? He gives good hugs
Banda was pretty awful in ST and in minors, I was personally happy when they got him from Tampa though because he definitely seemed like a low risk high upside arm. Interesting that Toffey has a .354 OBP but a terrible average… maybe there’s more to him that we don’t know.
Bat speed is my guess? Maybe the giants already know ans that’s why they trade for him?
the good thing about a high OBP low avg guy is he is a guy that can be developed, A lot harder with the opposite – a low OBP guy has trouble IDing pitches to take.
Toffey works through at bats, but his swing is too long imo. That’s probably why he his slugging went back down to earth after getting drafted.
He could be a potential Banda-aid until some of the Mets pitching returns to health.
The umpires immediately checked Toffey for “sticky stuff”
Toffey is an infielder. Sticky stuff on his jersey after he got hit by a pitch? I am missing your point.
Toffee is sticky and Toffee sounds like Toffey.
Oh man, we need something better to talk about.
At this point, I don’t think there was a point.
Joe, unlike some others I give you credit for the humor.
Joe, imagine if Sean Hjelle ever pitchesfor SF. (pronounced Jelly)
No loss. Just a minor move.
The World Series pull is on in both cities
These stats are worthless, been watching Baseball since 1962, only ERA, AVG, K’s. Walks, Hits, Home Runs have meaning.
I’ve been watching baseball since 1956, and I can say you are stuck in the past. Thinking those are the only worthwhile stats is like thinking that malaria, as once thought, is caused by bad air. Or that bleeding someone is a good way for them to get better. Or that the earth is at the center of the universe. Increased knowledge is actually a good thing, even if you don’t understand it.
These stats are worthless, been watching Baseball since 1962, only ERA, AVG, K’s. Walks, Hits, Home Runs have meaning.
You may have watched it but clearly you have never played it
Toffey is Farhan’s type of guy, can’t hit his weight but either gets out walk or homers.
Similar to the types of hitters his office has drafted since he took over. Bishop was supposed to be able to hit for Avg and power, but has not shown that skill set yet.
It’s obvious I’m not a Mets fan but does this guy really move the needle.
apparently every MLB trade involves players who will totally have a massive role in the future of a team and definitely isn’t just for organizational depth
there’s probably also some mets fan currently raging about how this trade sucks because of Banda’s 6.86 ERA in Triple-A even though the mets probably have prepared many other pitchers, especially with the rash of injuries they’ve suffered on their staff and bullpen this year as well
if you’re talking about Hunter Bishop the dude has played a whopping 35 games in the minors, it’s way too early to make any opinion on him so far
Manmanmrman, don’t get me wrong, I’m an advocate for getting guys time in the minors and letting them develop, I bring up Bishop more for the fact that there are a handful of guys drafted after him who have done a much better job of developing. I obviously hope he comes along once healthy and becomes a star with the big club. But there are a number of guys they’ve drafted since they took over that fall in that high OBP but can’t hit for high avg category.