Rising Reds prospect is making the Mets relive a trade they'd rather forget

It's hard to say that the Cincinnati Reds have officially won the 2022 deadline deal that sent Tyler Naquin and Phillip Diehl to the Mets, given that neither of the prospects they received has made their big league debuts. With that said, the bar to clear is extremely low at the moment. The Mets got an impotent performance from Naquin, who slashed .203/.246/.390 in the Big Apple, while Diehl didn't log a single MLB inning for them.

The deal was already looking like a win for the Reds, given Hector Rodriguez's arrival in Triple-A and overall solid 2025 campaign. Now, in 2026, Rodriguez is kicking things up another notch. What could make all the difference, though, and turn this trade from a likely win to a guaranteed heist is the emergence of the other prospect involved, right-hander Jose Acuna.

The 23-year-old is repeating Double-A, and while he had a strong showing at Chattanooga in 2025, he's been even better this year. He's lowered his ERA from 3.64 to 3.43, increased his strikeout rate from 22.9% to 26.8%, shaved his walk rate down from 12.6% to 9.6%, and become harder to hit with his batting average against falling from .222 to .184. All the while, his 78 2/3 innings pitched are seven more frames than he logged all of last year, but have come in just 14 starts versus 18 in 2025.

The imploding Mets could really use young talent like the Reds' hidden gems Hector Rodriguez and Jose Acuna

Neither youngster was highly thought of at the time of the deal, but Rodriguez was certainly ahead of Acuna, who to this day does not rank among the Reds' top 30 prospects by either MLB Pipeline or Baseball America. However, Acuna has consistently produced since coming over.

The Mets are currently in disarray. They disintegrated down the stretch last season and allowed Cincinnati to leapfrog them into the playoffs. This year, they fell on their faces out of the gate and have consistently disappointed, leading to the dismissal of manager Carlos Mendoza. One area where they have consistently struggled has been in their starting rotation.

Their veteran starters like Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga have been major disappointments, and some of their highly-touted pitching prospects have fallen flat. Jonah Tong has posted a 6.30 ERA in Triple-A. Nolan McLean, who MLB executives liked much more than Sal Stewart as an NL Rookie of the Year pick, per an offseason poll, has struggled of late.

McLean got off to a sizzling start, so his overall numbers, like a 4.03 ERA, don't look too bad, but since May 1, hitters have begun to figure him out as he's recorded an ERA of 5.00 and is in need of some serious adjustments. This isn't to say that the Mets won't eventually end up with two solid young starters in McLean and Tong, but they could still use more, which is where Acuna comes in.

Ultimately, the 2022 Mets tried to upgrade the fringes of their roster with a platoon bat and a lefty bullpen arm they could call upon if needed, and sent two lottery tickets the Reds' way for the privilege of making those additions. Now, the lotto results are about to come in, and with Acuna seeming to break out alongside Rodriguez, Cincinnati is just inches away from hitting the jackpot.

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