; ;

Mets Trade Jake Mangum To Miami Marlins

By John Sheridan

December 7, 2022 No comments

                                                   Jake Mangum, Photo by Richard Nelson

Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports the New York Mets have traded Jake Mangum to the Miami Marlins to finish the previous trade that sent right-handed pitching prospect Franklin Sanchez to the Marlins for righties Elieser Hernandez and Jeff Brigham. This comes on the heels of Mangum not being selected by any team in the Rule 5 draft.

Mangum, 26, was the Mets’ 2019 fourth round draft pick out of Mississippi State University. Entering the 2022 season, MMN ranked him as the Mets’ 16th best prospect.

This past season, Mangum only played in 72 games due to a stress reaction in his spine. When he returned to the field, it did not seem to inhibit his performance.

Mostly between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse, Mangum hit .306/.363/.441 with 15 doubles, six triples, four homers, and 35 RBI. He was successful in 14/17 stolen base attempts.

While the numbers were good, Mangum’s true value was in his defense. Over the course of his professional career, he’s made a number of highlight-worthy plays.

Mangum was likely ticketed to return to Triple-A next season, but he was also going to be buried on the depth chart. 

That said, the trade is shocking. Keep in mind, the Mets were not in a position where they needed to trade Mangum to clear the path for a better prospect. In fact, in the upper level of their system, they’re thinnest in the outfield.

You could also argue Mangum has a skill set that could propel him to the majors in some role. He has excellent bat-to-ball skills and does not strike out often. As noted, he’s a very good fielder.

That all said, apparently, the Mets did not see Mangum being a part of their future in any meaningful way. That goes double when you consider he was traded to an intra-division rival.