NEW YORK - The active New York Mets acquired first-rate reliever Tyler Clippard from Oakland for a minor league pitcher Monday, completing their second trade in four days and sending another signal they’re serious about contending this year.
The suddenly aggressive Mets shipped Casey Meisner to the Athletics in a swap of right-handers that increases New York’s payroll by a little more than $2 million.
The 30-year-old Clippard, eligible for free agency after this season, is 1-3 with a 2.79 ERA and 17 saves in 21 chances. The Athletics obtained him from Washington in January.
Oakland also traded starting pitcher Scott Kazmir to Houston last Thursday.
“The fact of the matter is we are in last place, and so it would probably behoove us to get return on players who are going to be free agents,” general manager Billy Beane said on a conference call. “I would assume that a lot of people agree with that approach.”
The 6-foot-7 Meisner, 20, was a third-round draft pick in 2013. He is 10-4 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 starts for Class A Savannah and St. Lucie this season.
“A guy that we think is going to be a starter all the way through, and a guy that we liked out of the draft,” Beane said.
“One of our focuses here, even as it relates to the Kazmir deal and on this deal, was really focusing on some guys that maybe are a little farther away, but maybe had a little bit more upside, which is not necessarily how we’ve approached things maybe in the more recent past. He’s 92-94 (mph) with his fastball and still room for growth.”
Meisner is expected to report to Class A Stockton in the California League.
Beane did not say who would take over the closing duties for Oakland. Candidates include Drew Pomeranz, Edward Mujica and Fernando Rodriguez.
After six consecutive losing seasons and years of rebuilding, the Mets are finally in position to make a playoff run thanks to their stingy pitching staff. The team trails first-place Washington by two games in the NL East and entered Monday 31/2 behind San Francisco for the league’s second wild card.
Starved for offense and seeking their first postseason berth since 2006, the Mets added third baseman Juan Uribe and utilityman Kelly Johnson on Friday night in a deal with Atlanta for two minor league pitchers. New York’s payroll has gone up by about $4.46 million with the two deals.
Uribe was owed $2,557,377 of his $6.5 million salary at the time of Friday night’s trade and Johnson was due $590,164 of his $1.5 million salary. Atlanta agreed to send the Mets $814,754 as part of that trade.
New York could still use another bat, preferably a right-handed power hitter.
Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline is Friday.
When Clippard reports Tuesday, there will be $3,129,508 remaining from his $8.3 million salary. Oakland will pay the Mets $1 million as part of the trade.
BEANE STILL OPTIMISTIC ABOUT NEW BALLPARK
Beane remains optimistic Oakland will get a new ballpark.
Someday, some way. He’s not sure how it will happen, but hopes it occurs during his tenure running the club.
“Because like everybody else, as much as everybody else likes stability, I can assure you nobody wants it more than I do,” Beane said. “I would anticipate it happening at some point.”
Beane offered no specifics on a new ballpark other than to say, “maybe the environment is, maybe it’s right.” Beane noted it would make it “a lot easier to plan from a baseball operations standpoint.”
Former Commissioner Bud Selig repeatedly said the A’s couldn’t sustain themselves in the run-down Coliseum they share with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. Last summer, the A’s reached a 10-year lease agreement with the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority to stay in their current home.
The A’s would like to relocate to San Jose, where the San Francisco Giants hold territorial rights. A’s owner Lew Wolff has said proposed locations to build in Oakland aren’t feasible.
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