The Mets have started the deadline shuffle, and the first move sends left-handed reliever A.J. Minter to the Minnesota Twins for prospects Billy Amick and Bruin Agbayani.
New York got the ball rolling after a 4-2 win over the Marlins on Thursday night, a result that gave the Mets four wins in their last five games. ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the deal, and the move is being treated as the opening act for what figures to be a busy stretch before Aug. 3.
Trade news: The Minnesota Twins are acquiring left-handed reliever A.J. Minter from the New York Mets, sources tell ESPN.
The Mets’ selling starts with one of the top relievers on the market. There will be many more Mets deals to come before Aug.
The expectation around the Mets is that this won’t be a one-and-done deadline. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman predicted 6-10 moves from the second-most expensive team in baseball, and David Stearns enters the stretch with the pressure of a second straight season without a playoff appearance hanging over him.
UPDATEThe Mets will likely make between 6-10 trades at the MLB Trade Deadline, per @JonHeyman pic.twitter.com/tTafBeUubg
For New York, though, this is also the point of the deadline: turn a short-term piece into future value. Minter came in as a strong early-season arm, then suffered a torn lat muscle in late April that kept him out until May of this season. The Mets are now cashing in that early success for two prospects who add depth to the system.
Minnesota, meanwhile, is making a clear push. The Twins entered at 55-55, three games behind the White Sox for first place in the AL Central and one game back in the Wild Card race.
They were widely projected to be the worst team in baseball heading into the 2026 season, but the standings have flipped in a hurry. Even with a farm system ranked No. 9 by MLB Pipeline back in March, the Twins chose to act.
Their bullpen needed help badly. Anthony Banda is out for the season with a left lat strain suffered in June, and the group as a whole owns a 4.92 ERA, fifth-worst in baseball.
Andrew Morris and Kody Funderburk have been among the more dependable options, but Minnesota lacked another left-handed answer. Minter gives them one immediately.
Through 23 appearances, he has a 2.35 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP and a 2.2% walk rate.
The price for Minnesota is light. Minter is a rental and is set to reach free agency after the season, while the two players heading to New York are both outside the top tier of the Twins’ system. The Mets are getting Minnesota’s No. 21 prospect, Billy Amick, and No. 29 prospect, Bruin Agbayani.
Amick is the more notable piece. The 2024 second-round pick brings the kind of right-handed power the Mets have been missing in their system, outside of No. 7 prospect Ryan Clifford.
In Double-A this season, Amick has hit 23 home runs in 86 games with 72 RBIs and an .820 OPS. At 23, he could be ready for the majors next season, and he gives New York another corner-infield option with upside.
Get to know Mets new 1B prospect Billy Amick:- High-upside, right-handed power bat. 2026 Double-A stats:.217 BA, .820 OPS, .338 OBP, 23 HR, 72 RBI- Gives the Mets long-term flexibility to the corners of the diamond. #LGM pic.twitter.com/yp77pSAgSO
Agbayani is a different kind of addition. The 19-year-old was a sixth-round pick in the 2025 draft and is the son of former Met Benny Abayani.
His pro career is still just getting started, and injury limited him to 10 games in Class-A this season. In that brief sample, he hit .268 with a .412 OBP.
On paper, it’s the kind of deal that works for both clubs: Minnesota fills an immediate bullpen need, and New York adds two prospects while beginning what should be a much larger deadline sell-off.
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