FRIDAY: The Mets officially declined Putz's option, according to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News. Rubin adds that the Mets exercised an option to pay Mike Pelfrey $500K in 2010, after which he'll be arbitration-eligible.
THURSDAY: According to Bart Hubbuch of The New York Post, the Mets have informed reliever J.J. Putz that they will not pick up his $9.1MM option for 2010, instead paying him a $1MM buyout. Hubbuch says the club cited health concerns when breaking the news to Putz.
The 32-year-old righthander appeared in just 29 games for the Mets before going down with an elbow injury that eventually required surgery. Putz's velocity was down all year, and his walk rate has jumped nearly four walks per nine innings pitched in the last two seasons.
