Minor League Mondays: Meet New No. 1 Prospect Jefferson Rojas

One of the most infamous trades in New York Mets' history is the July 2021 deal that saw Javier Baez and Trevor Williams come to Flushing. The deal cost the Mets Pete Crow-Armstrong, a recent first-round draft pick who has emerged as a star center fielder for the Chicago Cubs and could win the National League MVP this season. While there are a lot of Mets' fans who are triggered by the PCA deal, the Mets have a chance to have a little karmic retribution from the Cubs at this deadline with the addition of Jefferson Rojas, who is the focus of this week's edition of Minor League Mondays.

Jefferson Rojas became the Mets' top prospect after coming over in a trade from the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs signed Rojas as an international free agent in 2022 and gave him a $1 million signing bonus to secure his services. Rojas' advanced bat allowed the Cubs to challenge him with aggressive assignments and he met every benchmark with aplomb, becoming the most well-regarded prospect in Chicago's farm system.

The 2026 season saw Rojas become a Top 100 prospect and he attracted the attention of the Mets, who had already made a deal with the Cubs early in July involving David Peterson. Chicago saw New York as an opportunity to go one-stop shopping with Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor, leading them to cough up Rojas in that deadline day deal.

Rojas had hit well at AA Knoxville this season, batting .270 with 15 home runs, 57 RBI and an .800 OPS in 91 games there before getting dealt. The Mets kept Rojas at the AA level by assigning him to Binghamton and his transition to the organization has been smooth as he has hit .260 with eight home runs and 26 RBI in his first 25 games as a Rumble Pony.

The highlight with Rojas is his electric bat, which has seen him grade out as a 55 hit tool and 50 power tool on the 20-80 scale, which is above average. Rojas, 21, is a natural shortstop with good speed and a solid throwing arm, but his frame may profile better to third base in the long run. The Mets have had Rojas split his time relatively evenly between second base, third base and shortstop, which should allow them to keep their options open with him in the future.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Rojas is currently the Mets' top prospect according to MLB.com and their only inclusion in the league's Top 100 list at No. 76. Given his nearly full season of experience at the AA level, it wouldn't be surprising to see Rojas get exposed to the AAA level before the 2026 campaign concludes.

The offseason will be an important one for Rojas, who is going to be added to the 40-man roster to avoid being exposed to the Rule V draft. That distinction could be a problem if a potential lockout drags into the regular season, which would keep Rojas from working until the dispute is resolved as a union member, but he should be only one stop away from Flushing before long.

There is no doubt that Rojas is about as untouchable a prospect in the Mets' organization as anyone. The ideal scenario for the Mets would be for Rojas to fit as a potential third baseman in the majors, which would give the Mets a plan if Bo Bichette leaves before the end of his current contract. It is certainly possible Rojas debuts in 2027 as a utility type who gets at-bats at multiple positions before finding a more permanent home in the 2028 season, which would be an exciting development for a franchise that hasn't had these kinds of prospect robberies go in their favor very often.