Mets' deadline fire sale kicks off with A.J. Minter trade

It's officially teardown season in Queens. Jeff Passan broke the news that the Twins are getting left-handed reliever A.J. Minter from the Mets, and he didn't bury the lede on what it means for the rest of the week.

Jeff Passan

@JeffPassan

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. 3.

Minter isn't some rental scrub, either. The Mets signed him to a 2-year, $22M deal before the 2025 season, but he barely pitched that year after tearing his lat and needing surgery. He didn't make his 2026 debut until late May, then quietly put together a 2.35 ERA across 23 innings and 23 appearances once he got healthy — exactly the kind of proven, back-of-the-pen arm a bullpen-needy contender wants to buy low on in July.

The return isn't headline-grabbing, but it's got a fun wrinkle. Jon Heyman reported the Mets are getting infielders Billy Amick and Bruin Agbayani back, and yes, that's THAT Agbayani.

Jon Heyman

@JonHeyman

Mets receive prospects Bruin Agbayani + Billy Amick for Minter

Bruin is the son of Benny Agbayani, the beloved 'Flyin' Hawaiian' who spent parts of 5 seasons mashing for the Mets in the late 90s and early 2000s. Per Passan, Amick brings big raw power with some questions about where he ultimately plays, while the 19-year-old Agbayani is described as young, toolsy and instinctual — he was reportedly Minnesota's 29th-ranked prospect and slots in as the Mets' No. 22 prospect the other way. Bobby Valentine, who managed both Benny in Queens and Chiba Lotte, chimed in with a scouting nugget of his own on the kid.

Jon Heyman

@JonHeyman

Bruin Agbayani, 19, was the Twins’ 29th ranked prospect. “I like him a lot. He is a ballplayer. Lefthanded hitter. Can run and has power.” — Bobby Valentine, who managed Bruin’s dad Benny with Mets and Chiba Lotte (Bruin is on his way to St. Lucie)

There's also a money angle worth noting: Heyman reported the Twins are picking up the remainder of Minter's salary, more than $3M, to get this deal done — a sign of just how motivated a last-place Mets front office was to move him and how cheap Minnesota was able to make the acquisition cost-wise beyond the prospect capital.

For the Twins, this is straightforward buy-low bullpen reinforcement ahead of a stretch run. For the Mets, it's the opening bell. Passan and Heyman both framed this as the first domino of a bigger sell-off, and with the Aug. 3 deadline bearing down, nobody in Queens should feel safe on the roster right now.