FLUSHING, N.Y., July 28, 2017 – The New York Mets yesterday announced they have acquired righthanded pitcher A.J. Ramos from the Miami Marlins in exchange for minor league outfielder Ricardo Cespedes and minor league righthanded pitcher Merandy Gonzalez.
Ramos, 30, was an All-Star with Miami in 2016 and is 2-4 with 20 saves, a 3.63 ERA (16 earned runs/39.2 innings) and 47 strikeouts in 40 games for the Marlins in 2017. This season, Ramos ranks fifth in the National League in save percentage (90.9%, 20-of-22) and since the start of the 2016 season, Ramos ranks sixth in the major leagues with a 92.3 save percentage (60-of-65).
In 325 career major league games, Ramos is 15-16 with a 2.78 ERA (101 earned runs/327.1 innings) with 92 saves and 379 strikeouts.
Gonzalez, 21, is a combined 12-3 with a 1.78 ERA (21 earned runs/106.0 innings) in 17 starts between Columbia (A) of the South Atlantic League and St. Lucie (A) of the Florida State League. Gonzalez was named a South Atlantic League mid-season All-Star for his performance with Columbia earlier this season.
Cespedes, 19, has played at three minor league levels in 2017 and is batting .255 (26-102) with one home run and 15 RBI between the GCL Mets (R), Columbia (A) of the South Atlantic League and Brooklyn (A) of the New York-Penn League.
