Jim Duquette on Mets and Yankees trade deadline surprises

SiriusXM analyst Jim Duquette, a former Mets GM, talked with The Post’s Justin Terranova about the Yankees’ quiet deadline, the Mets’ bold move and getting a trade done at the wire.

Q: When all the smoke cleared after 4 p.m., what surprised you most?
A: That the Dodgers and Yankees, arguably the two best teams in their (respective leagues), didn’t really add much. It was clear the Dodgers needed some bullpen work and the Yankees needed some extra pitching. And then Atlanta and Houston made up ground on them. Both those teams filled in holes that were their significant weaknesses.

Q: What is the hope for Yankees fans for their rotation now?
A: If (Masahiro) Tanaka and (James) Paxton don’t figure it out, a trade wouldn’t have mattered. With Tanaka, I’d be concerned because there was a couple of different times during the Red Sox series that he could have gone to his split-finger and didn’t. … He’s trying to get that feel back. I’d feel good based on his track record that he will. The Yankees saw glimpses of Paxton early in the season before the knee was bothering him, and we know how electric that stuff could be. With him, it’s about the health and him feeling confident he’s not going to do any more damage. I am not as certain because it feels like this thing has been lingering.

Q: How surprised were you by the Mets’ trade deadline?
A: I thought they were clear sellers, so didn’t expect it. I don’t think it’s impossible for them to make a run. Their next games are against weaker opponents, but I tend to go back to that stretch before the All-Star break when they were facing off against some of the best teams in the game and got exposed. The bullpen is the big question in my mind, but if they can find consistency, a run is possible.

Q: Who quietly had a good deadline?
A: I was impressed with the moves Arizona made. On the surface, it looks like they are rebuilding because they traded away (Zack) Greinke, but they got a really good pitcher Zac Gallen (in a trade with the Marlins) who can help them right now. He is a legitimate arm and Mike Leake is no slouch, either. So, they might be able to cover the innings they are losing with Greinke, and they got good prospects from the Astros who should help them next year. They remained competitive, deepened their system and saved money in a pretty creative way.

Q: So many of the trades came through just at 4 p.m. What is that like for a GM?
A: When you come to the final agreement, that’s not the last call. You have to make sure you have somebody available to enter the deal into the MLB system so that it gets stamped by 4 p.m. Until it gets entered into the system, you don’t feel completely, 100-percent confident that the deal is done. Those last couple of minutes leading to the end — particularly if you hadn’t done anything yet — is a huge adrenaline rush.

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