Mets trade two prospects for Stroman

You have to give something to get something, and the Mets' cost of acquiring an All-Star arm is two of their top pitching prospects.
The Mets traded No. 4 prospectAnthony Kay and sixth-ranked Simeon Woods Richardson to the Blue Jays for big league right-hander Marcus Stroman and cash considerations. Stroman, a Long Island native, has a 2.96 ERA over 124 2/3 innings with Toronto this season.

Kay, the Mets' top pitching prospect, was the club's first-round pick in the 2016 Draft. The University of Connecticut product did not make his professional debut until last year after Tommy John surgery sidelined him for all of 2017. He began this season with Double-A Binghamton, where he posted a 1.49 ERA in 12 starts. Over 66 13 innings, the left-hander struck out 70, walked 23 and had a .165 opponents' batting average.
A mid-June promotion to Triple-A Syracuse had not produced the same results -- Kay has a 6.61 ERA in seven starts -- but the 24-year-old was still considered the most Major League-ready arm in New York's system.
Woods Richardson, a 2018 second-round pick, had spent his first full Minor League season with Class A Columbia before being promoted Sunday to Class A Advanced St. Lucie. The right-hander struck out 97 batters while walking 17 over 78 1/3 innings but had 4.25 ERA in 20 South Atlantic League starts. His fastball can touch 97 mph and the 18-year-old already has shown the makings of a plus curveball and an effective changeup, according to MLB Pipeline.

By parting with Woods Richardson, the Mets have dealt both of their first two selections from last year's Draft. First-rounder Jarred Kelenic was sent to the Mariners in the December trade that netted New York Robinson Canó and Edwin Diaz.
Kay and Woods Richardson join a Blue Jays system in which three of the top five prospects are pitchers, including Nate Pearson, who's ranked 14th overall by MLB.com. The right-hander tossed 5 2/3 hitless innings on Wednesday and has a 2.93 ERA in 12 starts for Double-A New Hampshire.