Emotion overcame José Buttó.
When Buttó learned during Wednesday’s game that he was being traded to the San Francisco Giants, the veteran reliever appeared to choke back tears as he said his goodbyes in the Mets’ bullpen and dugout.
A trade had not been on Buttó’s radar.
“I’m not going to lie to you. At first, I was very sad, of course, hearing the news,” Buttó said two days later in the visiting clubhouse at Citi Field, now in Giants gear. “But as the hours went by … you start getting used to it, accepting the fate of what the business of baseball is.”
Buttó, 27, was part of the package the Mets sent to the Giants for high-leverage reliever Tyler Rogers.
The trade occurred while the Mets were in San Diego, but because the Giants were going to Queens for this weekend’s series, Buttó rode the Mets’ plane back to New York. Rogers flew with the Giants to New York.
By then, Buttó said, he had already processed that he was changing teams for the first time.
The Venezuelan-born right-hander signed with the Mets as a 19-year-old international free agent in 2017, then made his MLB debut with them in 2022.
“My time with the Mets was really great,” Buttó said through a Giants interpreter. “Really grateful for the opportunity. … Can’t say enough about the organization, the fans, but I’m happy here with the Giants and just looking forward to the opportunity.”
Originally a starter, Buttó transitioned to a bullpen role last season and quickly emerged as a versatile weapon, often being asked to pitch multiple innings or to get the Mets out of a jam.
He finished his Mets career with an 11-9 record, a 3.44 ERA and four saves in 75 appearances, including 15 starts, over parts of four MLB seasons.
“Nothing but great things to say about him,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “With his ability to take the ball, we’ve used him in a lot of different roles. He’s a great teammate, a great human and, obviously, we’re going to miss him, but it’s the business. We all understand that.”
Buttó received a scoreboard video tribute during Friday’s series opener at Citi Field, then entered the game in the eighth inning with runners at the corners and one out.
Pete Alonso lifted a game-tying sacrifice fly, dealing Buttó a blown save, before the Giants won, 4-3, in 10 innings.
“I faced him in spring training, so I’m like, alright, how do I go back in the memory bank here?” Alonso said, adding, “He didn’t give up a hit, but I had a good swing, had a productive at-bat. We’ll call it a tie.”
Buttó’s in-game reaction to the trade harkened back to July 29, 2015, when then-Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores broke down in tears on the field after learning he was set to be traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Carlos Gomez.
That trade ultimately fell through due to Gomez’s failed physical, and Flores remained with the Mets through 2018.
In another bit of baseball surrealism, Flores and Buttó are now teammates with the Giants.
“I just met him,” Buttó said, “but I’m sure that eventually, I will have an opportunity to sit down, talk to him and pick his brain.”
VERLANDER TIES
The Buttó-Rogers trade caught the attention of Justin Verlander, now of the Giants.
That’s because the Mets also included outfield prospect Drew Gilbert, whom they had acquired two years earlier when they traded Verlander to the Houston Astros before the 2023 deadline.
“I remember when I got to Houston, he was the hold-up, because Houston thought very highly of him and didn’t want to let him go,” Verlander, 42, said Friday at Citi Field.
Verlander made only 16 starts with the Mets before they traded him to Houston, where he had spent the previous six years and won two World Series.
The Mets also sent veteran co-ace Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers before that deadline as they attempted to retool their farm system amid a lost season.
“That year was so different [than this one] because of the conversations I was having behind doors with Steve [Cohen], and kind of the direction of the team,” Verlander said. “That was different for me.”
The Giants were sellers at this year’s deadline, also trading closer Camilo Doval to the Yankees and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to the Kansas City Royals.
But they kept Verlander, who is 1-8 with a 4.54 ERA and playing on a one-year contract.
“I thought there might be a chance [of being traded], but I wasn’t really pressing the issue one way or the other,” Verlander said.
“Was just kind of like, ‘Let the cards fall where they may.’ I’m enjoying being in San Francisco. I’m enjoying living there. My family’s there. I have a newborn. It wouldn’t be the easiest life decision to go somewhere else.”
REGULAR REST
The Mets plan to stick with a five-man staff through the next turn in the rotation, meaning David Peterson is in line to pitch Wednesday on standard four days’ rest.
Peterson struggled in his previous two starts on regular rest, allowing five runs apiece to the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates in June.
“We’ll continue to monitor it, but we feel good,” Mendoza said Saturday. “They understand that at some point throughout the year, you’re gonna take the ball on regular rest. Petey’s done it. We’re not concerned at all.”
Peterson, a first-time All-Star this season, is 7-4 with a 2.83 ERA over a career-high 127 innings.
The Mets often find ways to give extra rest to their starters, including Clay Homes, who converted from a full-time relief role, and Kodai Senga, who was accustomed to pitching once a week in Japan.
Fellow starters Tylor Megill and Paul Blackburn are on the injured list, while Griffin Canning is out for the year with a ruptured Achilles, all of which affects the Mets’ depth.
The Mets’ next scheduled off day is Thursday.
Originally Published:
