Jeff McNeil’s time in the Big Apple has come to an end.
The Mets have long been floating the former batting champ in trade talks, and on Monday they finally reached an agreement to ship him off to the A’s along with cash.
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New York receives 17-year-old pitching prospect Yordan Rodriguez in return.
While he seemingly didn’t have a home in the Big Apple anymore, the A’s feel the veteran McNeil will slot in perfectly with their young up-and-coming roster.
“He’s a really good fit in a lot of ways,” GM David Frost told Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. “His experience — let’s be honest, we still have a generally young roster without a ton of experience, particularly on the position-player side.
“I think he brings a lot to the table in terms of having played in that big market, played in the postseason, and just bringing a lot of experience to our clubhouse.”
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That developing core is headlined by AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz, the slap-hitting Jacob Wilson, slugger Brent Rooker, catcher Shea Langeliers, power-hitting lefty Tyler Soderstrom, and dynamic outfielder Lawrence Butler.
The 33-year-old should bring a nice boost to their offense taking his newly-developed approach at the plate to the hitter-friendly confines of Sutter Health Park.
McNeil is currently penciled in as their everyday second base, but things could always change over the next few months, as the organization also values his versatility.
Frost views his skillset similar to another veteran he’d signed in the past.
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“That he has that much versatility,” the GM said. “I see it a lot like when we acquired Ben Zobrist a long time ago — just knowing you have some options and you can do some other things on the roster is great.”
McNeil, of course, has logged an appearance at every position except pitcher and catcher over the years.
He finishes his time with the Mets as a .284 hitter with 80 HR, 367 RBI, and a .779 OPS.