One of the best transactions of the Billy Eppler era as Mets’ General Manager was his trade of Keyshawn Askew to the Tampa Bay Rays for Brooks Raley. While Askew is still young enough (24) to turn into a productive relief pitcher, Raley’s 1.8 bWAR in 68 games with the Mets represents a nearly best case scenario outcome for Askew, even if his absence robs Mets writers everyone of View Askew/Kevin Smith/Jay and Silent Bob jokes.
Boochies being snooched aside, Raley was an extremely reliable, effective relief pitcher for the Mets. In 2023, his lone full season as a Met, he put up an ERA+ of 150 with 10 strikeouts per nine innings and a 2.