The Mets made their first major acquisition at the deadline, and while it’s not quite Juan Soto, it does address a hole in the offense. The club has acquired first baseman/designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for reliever Colin Holderman, giving the team a left-handed designated hitter option it has sorely missed this year.
Vogelbach’s straight-up offensive numbers this season have been solid, as the veteran slugger has posted a .228/.338/.430 slash line with 12 homers and a 118 wRC+ in 278 plate appearances. However, the true value he provides to the Mets becomes apparent when looking at his sectional splits, as Vogelbach, a left-handed hitter, has struck out right-handed pitchers to the tune of 133 wRC+ while putting up just 33 wRC+ against the leftists . As such, it stands to reason that he will serve as the left side of a platoon at DH, with JD Davis or (in a more ideal world) another deadline acquisition getting the majority of starts against left-handed starters.
In terms of cost, it’s nothing. Although Colin Holderman wasn’t a household name before this year, he has established himself as a promising bullpen option for the Mets, posting a 2.04 ERA in 17.2 innings over 15 appearances so far in his big league career. He has provided much-needed stability to a bullpen that has needed him in 2022, but with the Mets presumably looking for help on the trade market and Trevor May on the way back, the team presumably felt he was expendable. In the short term, Yoan López has been called up to take Holderman’s place in the squad.