Laura Albanese: Mets reliever Nate Lavender breathes some life into post-fire sale clubhouse
Mets' Nate Lavender pitches in his major-league debut in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Guardians in Cleveland on Tuesday. Credit: AP/Sue Ogrocki
CLEVELAND — Nate Lavender waited over five years to gleefully toss himself into a fire.
The lefty was drafted by the Mets in 2021 and cruised through the minors before Tommy John surgery derailed his career in 2024. He was claimed by the Rays in the Rule 5 draft. He needed another surgery to remove bone spurs, and before Tuesday night’s 6-2 win over the Guardians at Progressive Field, he had never pitched in a major-league game.
It happened to come with two outs and two on in the seventh inning, with the tying run at the plate: He had a 2-and-2 count on Travis Bazzana before a seemingly meek 92.7-mph fastball snuck up on the fellow lefty for a called strike three. He then went back out and faced the minimum in the eighth.
“Unbelievable, unbelievable,” said Lavender, 26. “Spending two years on the shelf is a lot — a lot of ups and downs . . . You have to enjoy the small moments.”
A day after the fire sale that gutted the Mets’ roster, “enjoying the small moments” will have to be the name of the game. But feel-good stories like Lavender’s will also be overshadowed by the reality of these next few months.
Lavender, after all, was one of five relief arms ushered into interim manager’s Andy Green’s office for a meeting before the game — a patchwork crew meant to keep this team afloat for their two-month funeral processional, a result of the 11 players the Mets dealt from June on.
There are things here fans can root for: The exuberant Jefry Yan, who celebrates each strikeout with an enthusiastic hop, is getting a shot despite leaving professional baseball for five years before working his way back, and Robert Stock, 37 in November, is being slotted into the rotation after undergoing thoracic outlet surgery earlier this year (Stock, who was impressive in his five-inning start against the Marlins last weekend, teared up after that game while reflecting on his long journey here).
Most people will say that the Mets — one of the few sellers at this year’s deadline — did well Monday. They replenished a farm system that had taken a deep dive in the rankings, collecting 13 players total, and nine that immediately slotted into the organization’s top 30. Two in particular — Jefferson Rojas, acquired from the Cubs in exchange for Tyrone Taylor and Clay Holmes, and Sammy Stafura, who joined the franchise in the trade that sent Luke Weaver to the Pirates — look promising.
But it’s also cold comfort. For one thing, most of these prospects aren’t in a position to help the Mets next season. For another, most prospects simply don’t pan out. A recent article in Baseball America tracked every trade deadline deal from 2015 to 2025 and noted that only 6.3% of minor leaguers acquired at the deadline have gone on to produce five or more wins above replacement. Of that group — around 700 players — 44% never reached the majors, and 26% had a WAR of zero or less.
Of course, there are ways to make the most of this. The collective bargaining agreement is set to expire in December, with at least one former high-ranking baseball executive positing that this could make the trade market more fertile since front offices may want to wait on signing free agents until they get a better sense of when — and if — there will be baseball. President of baseball operations David Stearns said Monday that one goal was to acquire some pieces that he can later flip for major-league talent, though he added that the threat of a lockout didn’t influence his strategy.
But for now, fans will have to make do with a smattering of feel-good stories amid a sea of disappointment.
“I think what really energizes a group of guys is having a guy make a debut, come in and get a huge out in a tough situation against a very good hitter and then go back out there and throw really well the next inning,” Green said. “I thought the dugout was as alive in that Nate Lavender punchout as it’s been in some time and I think that really just hopefully is a catalyst for us to bring some energy with these new guys we got here.”
For what it’s worth, there’s plenty to like in Lavender — a crafty lefty that MLB Pipeline describes as a “rare reverse-split reliever” with deceptive mechanics and a high strikeout rate. Yan, too, seems pretty exciting — and not just for the celebrations. In 35 games between Double-A and Triple-A this year, Yan struck out 77 batters in 41 2⁄3 innings, pitching to a 3.24 ERA.
“You kind of pay attention to what Lav’s been through,” said Sean Manaea, who allowed two runs in six innings Tuesday. “To scratch and claw to get his way here and to have an outing like that is so cool to be able to witness that. As a human being, it’s awesome. You love to see stories like that.”
For now, it’ll have to be enough. Because the Mets and their fans don’t have much else to look forward to.
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
