Not every trade yields clear-cut results. Sometimes, the benefits—or drawbacks—take time to fully unfold. At the 2023 trade deadline, the New York Mets chose to hit the reset button.
In their two most notable moves, they shipped Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander to rival AL West teams, covering much of their salaries to secure stronger prospect returns. In exchange, they landed Luisangel Acuña for Scherzer, and Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford for Verlander.
Eighteen months later, after watching these prospects throughout the 2024 season, opinions started to evolve. Acuña struggled in Triple-A but impressed during a brief September stint. Gilbert’s year was marred by injuries and underwhelming play. Clifford initially surged, showing off his power after leaving Coney Island’s lefty-unfriendly ballpark.
But once again, the outlook has shifted. Clifford, once looking like the top prize, has stumbled at Double-A, casting doubt on his big-league future. In the end, perhaps these trades are turning out closer to what they first seemed.
The pair of Mets blockbuster trades from 2023 are turning out more like the way they first looked
The other side of the trade has essentially become irrelevant now. Both Scherzer and Verlander dealt with injuries and have since moved on to new teams. The Rangers managed to capture a title out of it, while the Astros got a fresh set of memories.
Let’s rewind to our initial impressions of these trades. Acuña, thanks to his recognizable name, immediately stood out as a promising addition to the farm system. With great speed and athleticism, he’s emerged as a real candidate for an everyday second base role.
He earned National League Rookie of the Month honors in April and continues to impress with his quickness, defensive prowess, and the potential to hit close to .300.
Gilbert is still working his way back and hasn’t yet delivered the kind of impact we’d hoped for at Triple-A. After slashing .215/.313/.393 in 246 plate appearances with Syracuse last year, he’s made clear improvements this time around.
His average is around .250, and he’s balancing walks and strikeouts more effectively, showing signs of a more complete hitter. Acuña struggled at Triple-A but shined in the majors—could Gilbert follow the same path?
Then there’s Clifford, who’s shaping up to be more of a Dave Kingman-type than we’d prefer. He hit just .228 last season and is tracking for similar results again.
His power and walk rate are the key things to monitor, but so far in 2025, neither has been particularly encouraging. After logging over 400 plate appearances in Double-A last year and already over 100 this season, we were hoping to see more production from him by now.
Some tried to frame the Verlander trade as being “all about Clifford,” but that’s not entirely accurate. At the time of the trades, Acuña was widely seen as the top prospect acquired. And based on his big league performance, it’s hard to ask for much more.
All three prospects still have the potential to become impactful major leaguers. For now, just as expected, Acuña looks like the future star, Gilbert remains the intriguing unknown, and Clifford is the power-hitting wild card we hope can find another gear.
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