Mets trading reliever David Robertson to Marlins, sources say - ESPN

The disassembly of the 2023 New York Mets, the team with the highest payroll ever in baseball, began late Thursday when they traded closer David Robertson to the Miami Marlins for two rookie league teenagers, sources confirmed to ESPN.

Robertson, 38, took over the ninth-inning role for the Mets after star Edwin Diaz injured his knee during a World Baseball Classic celebration. Robertson was a stalwart at the back end of a shaky bullpen, posting a 2.05 ERA over 44 innings, striking out 48 and saving 14 games.

He'll join Jorge Lopez, whom the Marlins acquired for reliever Dylan Floro, in a reconstituted relief corps for a Marlins team that, at 55-48, is a half-game back of the final National League East wild-card spot.

The Mets are 48-54, the fifth-worst record in the NL, and 6½ games behind the Marlins. After not making a run into playoff contention over the past few weeks, they started to deal from their underachieving roster with Robertson, as The Athletic first reported. How many players they'll trade is unclear — outfielder Tommy Pham is likely to move, while starters Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer remain far longer shots — but the team with a luxury-tax payroll of more than $380 million and a tax in excess of another $100 million will not look the same come the 6 p.m. trade deadline Aug. 1.

In return, the Mets received 18-year-old middle infielder Marco Vargas and 19-year-old switch-hitting catcher Ronald Hernandez, both of whom were excelling in the Florida Complex League this year. The pair is well-regarded by evaluators — particularly Vargas, who multiple sources said could grow into a top prospect — but unlikely to help the Mets until at earliest 2026.

«It's not a complete surprise. You knew this was a