Francisco Lindor approves of the Mets’ trade-deadline additions.
So does Carlos Mendoza.
The Mets wrapped up a busy trade season by acquiring starting pitcher Paul Blackburn and relievers Huascar Brazobán and Tyler Zuber in the hours before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. deadline.
Those trades followed the recent additions of outfielder Jesse Winker and relievers Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek.
“They did good,” shortstop Francisco Lindor told the Daily News after the Mets’ 2-0 win over the Twins at Citi Field on Tuesday.
“They added what they felt we needed. People may not be going crazy about it because they’re not huge names, but they’re good players.”
The Mets, who fell a season-worst 11 games below .500 on May 29, emerged as buyers during a summer surge in which they’ve won 35 of their last 52 games and moved into possession of a National League Wild Card spot.
“It always feels great to know that we’re going out there and going hard as we can, and [the front office is] matching our energy,” Lindor said.
David Stearns, in his first season as the Mets’ president of baseball operations, demonstrated a balanced approach before his first deadline with the organization, making measured moves that help now but don’t mortgage the future.
Winker, a left-handed hitter who arrived from Washington, batted fifth on Monday and Tuesday, between righties Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos. He started both games in right field, where Starling Marte remains out indefinitely due to a bone bruise in his knee.
A 2021 All-Star selection, Winker boasts 11 home runs, 45 RBI and 14 stolen bases to go with a .375 on-base percentage that ranks seventh in the National League.
Blackburn, who came over from the A’s, is set to join a rotation that last week lost ace Kodai Senga to a high-grade calf strain that is expected to end his regular season, as well as rookie Christian Scott, who went on the 15-day injured list with a UCL sprain.
The right-handed Blackburn was a 2022 All-Star who pitched to a 4.41 ERA in nine starts with Oakland this season.
Maton, Stanek, Brazobán and Zuber, meanwhile, are each right-handed options in a bullpen mix that lost Drew Smith and lefty Brooks Raley to season-ending elbow injuries. Reed Garrett (elbow inflammation) and Sean Reid-Foley (shoulder impingement) are nearing their returns to the Mets’ bullpen.
“I feel like we’re in a better position now,” Mendoza said after Tuesday’s game.
“It helps, and we’ve seen it. I’m gonna go back to when we got a Luis Torrens, when we got [Jose] Iglesias, and then we continued to add, whether it was a Maton or guys that have come up from Triple-A,” the manager continued. “They always help. It’s different faces. It’s the energy. It’s the vibes.”
The Mets improved to 57-50 with Tuesday’s win.
“The front office believes in us, and I think we all believe in each other,” said Sean Manaea, who hurled seven scoreless innings and struck out 11 on Tuesday.
“For all that to happen, these last couple of days have been awesome.”
