The New York Mets’ 2024 trade deadline haul was supposed to help build a championship-level roster, and in the end it helped push the Los Angeles Dodgers to Game 6 of the NLCS. A lot of the attention went to the players who showed up in October - Ryne Stanek, Jesse Winker and Phil Maton - but one of the quieter moves from that summer has turned into a strange little win for the Dodgers.
That deal sent Mets prospect Paul Gervase out the door in exchange for Tyler Zuber, and Zuber never pitched for the 2024 Mets. In 2025, he logged only 2 innings in one game and gave up two runs. Gervase, meanwhile, has become a movable bullpen arm for the Dodgers, bouncing between the majors and minors.
Gervase’s path has already been a little dizzying. He was sent to the Tampa Bay Rays on July 30, 2024, then a year later, on July 31, 2025, he was included with current Mets minor leaguer Ben Rortvedt and another player in the deal for Hunter Feduccia.
The right-hander has shown enough to keep getting chances. He posted a 4.32 ERA last season across his time with the Rays and Dodgers, then improved to a 2.35 ERA in 7.2 innings this year.
The problem has always been the same: the walks. He has issued 5.9 per nine innings, which has kept him from sticking in one major league spot for long, even with a 9.4 K/9 rate.
The Triple-A numbers look better on the surface, with a 3.60 ERA and 12.6 K/9 rate this season. But the control issues haven’t gone away there either, as he has walked 6.5 batters per nine and also allowed four home runs in just 25 innings. The talent is obvious; the command is still the hurdle.
Drafted by the Mets in the 12th round in 2022, Gervase is one of only two players from that class with positive MLB WAR. Brandon Sproat is the other, and both sit at 0.2 four years after being selected.
For now, the Dodgers have mostly used Gervase as a way to soak up innings. Three of his four outings this year have gone at least two innings. He’s still very much a work in progress, but he’s useful enough to keep around - and if not, the Dodgers may just keep the annual deadline carousel spinning and move him again.
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The more interesting part is whether the Mets would use that kind of swap to bring in a pitcher who is close enough to matter soon, but still has some development left in the tank. With A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley no longer in the mix, there is at least a path for a left-handed arm to get a look, and Seattles system has one that has been moving through the upper levels with strong strikeout numbers and steady run prevention. The wrinkle is timing, because a pitcher in that spot can be useful to a club now, while also carrying enough roster pressure that the other side has to decide whether to hold on or make a move before the offseason changes the calculus. [Read more 🡒]