Tyler Naquin, Phillip Diehl Mets trade

MIAMI — In their quest to acquire lefty relief help, the Mets grabbed some additional left-handed thump as well. The team on Thursday acquired outfielder Tyler Naquin and reliever Phillip Diehl from the Reds in exchange for Minor Leaguers Jose Acuña and Hector Rodríguez.

Diehl, 28, is a reliever under team control for four more seasons after this one. Although he has produced a bloated 11.12 ERA in five big league appearances this season, Diehl flashed upside with 30 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings at Triple-A Louisville. He posted a 2.47 ERA in 58 appearances at that level last season, holding lefties to a .533 OPS.

TRADE DETAILS
Mets get: OF Tyler Naquin, LHP Phillip Diehl
Reds get: Minor League RHP Jose Acuña, Minor League OF Hector Rodríguez (neither in Mets’ Top 30 Prospects by MLB Pipeline at time of trade)

Naquin, 31, has struggled to replicate his strong 2021 season with the Reds, batting .245/.305/.429 this year. Those numbers do include an .811 OPS against right-handed pitchers, and the Mets see Naquin playing two to three times per week in the outfield, with Jeff McNeil spending more time at second base as a result.

Naquin, who can become a free agent after this season, is making $4.025 million and his arrival could marginalize Travis Jankowski, who served as the Mets’ primary pinch-runner and outfield defensive replacement throughout the first half.

“He did a great job for us last year and a great job for us this year. He’s going to be a free agent at the end of the year,” Reds general manager Nick Krall said of Naquin. “Definitely wish him well with his career. Going to a first-place club — that’s great for him.”

Neither Acuña, a right-hander with a 2.67 ERA at Single-A St. Lucie, nor Rodríguez, an 18-year-old outfielder in the Florida Complex League, is ranked among the Mets’ Top 30 Prospects by MLB Pipeline, indicating a relatively low price to pay for Naquin and Diehl.