The following is part of each of the series previews here at BP Mets. “Mets Connections” takes a look at the opposing teams’ rosters and highlights some of the noteworthy or interesting links that can be drawn between those players and the Mets organization. Some of these links may be obvious, such as if an opposing player has formerly played for New York, but some may be lesser known tidbits, such as if a player was previously drafted by the Mets. This version of the series analyzes the A’s roster as they begin a weekend series in New York tonight.
Matt Joyce: The A’s outfielder was sent from the Tigers to the Rays at the 2008 Winter Meetings for oft-traded Edwin Jackson. The next year at the Winter Meetings, Jackson was part of the three-team trade that saw Curtis Granderson land in the Bronx among other parts.
Michael Brady: Yunel Escobar has not bounced around quite as much as Jackson, but he has been involved in his fair share of trades. He is the link that connects A’s pitcher Michael Brady, who was sent as part of the package that landed Escobar in Anaheim in 2015, and Jose Reyes, who was involved in the blockbuster deal between the Blue Jays and Marlins at the beginning of the 2012 offseason.
Hometown Connections
New York backstop Travis d’Arnaud and Oakland reliever Ryan Madson were both born in Long Beach, California.
Draft Connections
2005 first round: The Reds selected Jay Bruce 12th and 33 picks ahead of the Red Sox choice of Jed Lowrie, but because of the extensive number of supplemental picks that year, both were technically first rounders.
2007 first round: d’Arnaud and A’s reliever Sean Doolittle were both supplemental picks towards the middle of the first round in 2007.
2009 first round: Separated by a similar margin of picks as Bruce and Lowrie, New York hurler Zack Wheeler (6-Giants) and Oakland backstop Josh Phegley (38-White Sox) are another pair of former first rounders currently with teams other than their original organizations.
2012 second round: Mets infielder Matt Reynolds and A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell have had roughly similar career paths. Both were drafted early in the second round in 2012 out of southern four-year colleges and made their debuts in the middle of the 2016 season. They were also born just 17 days apart in December 1990.
2014 first round: Slick fielding Oakland third baseman Matt Chapman (25) was selected 15 spots behind the Met’s newly minted All-Star outfielder Michael Conforto in the 2014 draft.
Photo credit: Kelley L. Cox – USA Today Sports