Former Tennessee baseball player Drew Gilbert has been traded from Houston to the New York Mets.
Gilbert, a minor league outfielder, and outfielder Ryan Clifford were traded to New York in exchange for right-handed pitcher Justin Verlander.
Gilbert was a top-rated prospect in the Astros’ organization. He began the season at High-A Asheville before being promoted to Double-A Corpus Christi.
Between the two teams, Gilbert recorded a .274 batting average, 12 home runs, 38 RBIs, 19 doubles, one triple and three stolen bases. He also appeared in the MLB Futures Game in Seattle.
Gilbert played for the Vols from 2020-22 and was the Southeastern Conference Tournament’s Most Valuable Player in 2022, leading Tennessee to the tournament championship.
In his career, he was named to multiple All-America teams. He was drafted by the Astros with the No. 28 overall selection in the 2022 MLB draft.
Full trade, per ESPN sources:
Astros receive: RHP Justin Verlander.
Mets receive: OF Drew Gilbert and OF Ryan Clifford.
Deal is done.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 1, 2023