The New York Mets brought a familiar name to the organization as part of the team’s first big trade before next week’s deadline.
The Mets struck a deal in the late hours on Thursday, shipping relief pitcher A.J. Minter to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for a pair of prospects. One of those trade pieces is the son of a popular former player who helped the Mets reach the World Series in 2000.
Benny Agbayani’s Son Joins the Mets
As ESPN reported, the Twins shipped two prospects to the Mets for the steady reliever.
“In return, the Mets received infielder Billy Amick and infielder Bruin Agbayani — the son of former longtime Mets outfielder Benny Agbayani,” the report noted.
The 19-year-old Agbayani was listed as the team’s No. 29 prospect and landed on the MLB Pipeline’s Top 250 prospects list after being drafted in 2025.
Agbayani said he recalled watching his father play when he was young. Though Benny Agbayani played his last MLB game in 2002, he spent several years in Japan, and stories of his prowess with the Mets reached Bruin.
“Oh, it’s the greatest feeling,” Agbayani said of listening to stories of his father’s time in Queens. “Just hearing they’re Mets fans, that they love my dad and what he did in New York — just hearing about it, it’s fun.”
Bruin Agbayani said he got a chance to prove himself last year, playing as an 18-year-old in the MLB Draft League against college players.
“I had a great time,” Agbayani said. “Playing against college kids, that’s what you’re gonna matchup against when you’re in the big leagues, guys that are 23, 24 years old, so it definitely was a good experience to see how they are — the pitching and the velocity, their speed, they’re stronger. And the guys that I played with, they took care of me; I was the young guy on the team, so they definitely looked out for me there and drove me around and taught me a lot about just how college was and their experiences playing baseball.”
Benny Agbayani Helped Mets on World Series Run
Benny Agbayani became a popular player with fans, thanks in large part to his heroics during playoff runs in 1999 and 2000. He hit a 13th-inning walk-off home run in Game 3 of the NLDS in 2000, then drove in the winning run in the team’s only win against the New York Yankees in the World Series that year.
“That’s one of the moments you never forget, especially playing against the Yankees,” Agbayani said in 2023 of the big hit against Orlando Hernandez, via Audacy.com. “El Duque’s the pitcher. He’s been dominant all season long and you just want to come up there and get the big hits every time you get the opportunity. Doing it at Shea, doing it for the fans, doing it for the people in Hawaii, the adrenaline is pumping.”
Though Agbayani wasn’t the biggest star on a team with Mike Piazza, Edgardo Alfonzo, and Al Leiter, he said the New York fans always made him feel like he was.
“It was great. It was one of those things, you walk around New York, you get noticed,” Agbayani said. “You feel like a big superstar but it was just great that the fans of New York embraced me the way they did. I really appreciate that. When the fans embrace you like that it’s easier to play.”
Mets Land Son of Beloved Former Player in Blockbuster MLB Trade