Josh Walker, Photo by Ed Delany of MetsmerizedOnline

The trading deadline is right around the corner, and with the Mets organization buying, there haven’t been many new prospects coming into the system. But a small move has commenced between the Mets and Pirates, with New York sending recently DFA’d left-hander Josh Walker to Pittsburgh in exchange for 18-year-old southpaw starter Nicolas Carreno.

The 18-year-old hurled 21 1/3 innings in the Dominican Summer League, posting a 3.74 ERA and a solid FIP of 4.27. He struck out a whopping 36 batters this year, though he has also walked 17. Carreno pitched the first three innings of a combined no-hitter earlier his month. His stuff generated a lot of groundballs this year (50.0%), which if he can continue as his professional career goes on, it will help tremendously.

This was a lotto ticket-type move from the front office. If he pans out great, and if he doesn’t, you cut ties, and it costs the team nothing except a DFA’d reliever who was likely no longer going to be with the organization anyway.