Well somehow, someway, Rafael Montero has survived three years of uninspired pitching and two rounds of cuts from the 40 man roster to remain a New York Met.  He survived the second time because the Mets traded Gabriel Ynoa yesterday to the Orioles for cash considerations.  In Baltimore, Ynoa could conceivably join Logan Verrett in the Orioles starting rotation.  That’s right, Verrett, make that three rounds of cuts from the 40 man roster.

Ultimately, Verrett and Ynoa were traded because the Mets had a team, namely the Orioles, who was interested in their services.  When it comes to Ynoa, it is easy to ascertain why.

Ynoa has a mid to high 90s fastball, a good change-up, and an emerging slider.  For most of his minor league career, he showed good control and an ability to locate his pitches.  You could argue what he was as a pitcher.  To some, he was a back-end of the rotation guy.  To many, he had a promising career in the bullpen.  For those that truly believed in his talent, they could make a justifiable case he could emerge as a front of the rotation starter.  No matter what the opinion, the consensus was this guy was a major league talent.

Unfortunately, we did not get to see that in his limited time in a Mets uniform.  Having never been in a major league bullpen before, Ynoa struggled when thrust into the role.  After having been effectively shut down for the season, at least from the perspective of being a starting pitcher, Ynoa struggled in his few starts with the Mets.  Call it making excuses for the player, but he was a rookie put in an unenviable task.  Who knows?  Maybe if he was put in a real position to succeed, his stats would have been much better, and maybe the Mets move someone other than him.

And that is the real shame.  We never did get to see what Ynoa could truly be in a major league uniform.  Maybe he would have been a solid bullpen arm.  Maybe he was that guy who surprised you in the rotation.  Now, he can still be those things, but he will be those things in a Baltimore Orioles uniform.

And hopefully he will achieve all he is capable of with the Orioles.  It would be good for the Mets to show the prospects they are willing to move are capable of succeeding when it comes to future trade talks.  It is better for Ynoa who left his home at the age of 17 with the dreams of becoming a major leaguer.