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Mets Release Adrian Houser

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The Mets released right-handers Adrian Houser and Ty Adcock this afternoon. Houser’s release was first reported by Will Sammon of the Athletic (on X), while MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweeted the Adcock news.

New York had designated both pitchers for assignment. Houser lost his roster spot last Friday. New York kept him in DFA limbo in an apparent hope of finding a trade partner before yesterday’s deadline. That obviously didn’t transpire, so they had no choice but to put him on waivers. Houser has more than five years of service time and would’ve retained his entire salary if he declined an assignment to Triple-A. The Mets therefore opted for a release instead.

Houser landed in Queens in an offseason trade with Milwaukee that also brought in outfielder Tyrone Taylor. First-year baseball operations president David Stearns was plenty familiar with both players from his time running the Brewers. While Taylor has been a decent fourth outfielder, Houser struggled. He pitched his way out of the rotation by allowing nearly a run per inning over seven starts.

The 31-year-old has fared better in a long relief capacity. Houser carries a 3.28 ERA in 35 2/3 frames out of the bullpen spanning 16 appearances. He hasn’t missed bats in either role (12.5% strikeout rate as a starter, 16.8% in relief), but he has managed a hefty 53.2% ground-ball percentage out of the bullpen.

That wasn’t enough for another team to line up with the Mets on a trade. It’s not likely to convince a club to take the approximate $1.63MM remaining on Houser’s $5MM+ salary off release waivers. Once he gets to free agency, another team could sign him for the prorated portion of the $740K minimum. Houser should at least get minor league offers and may find a club willing to plug him directly onto the MLB staff — likely in a relief role — for the stretch run. He’ll be a free agent again at the start of the offseason.

New York designated Adcock for assignment yesterday as the corresponding move for the Tyler Zuber acquisition. The Mets had claimed the Elon product from the Tigers in May. Adcock made three appearances, surrendering seven runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/30/24

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Catching up on some minor transactions from around the league…

  • Guardians right-hander Spencer Howard has elected free agency after being designated for assignment last week. The right-hander was acquired by Cleveland in a trade with the Giants earlier this month after he had been DFA’d in San Francisco. A second-round pick by the Phillies in the 2017 draft and a former consensus top-40 prospect in the game, Howard has struggled badly at the big league level throughout his career. In parts of five seasons with the Phillies, Rangers, Giants, and Guardians, the righty sports a 7.00 ERA in 144 innings of work with a 5.63 FIP and a 19.9% strikeout rate. In recent seasons, his struggles in the majors have extended to his time at Triple-A, where he now sports a career 4.83 ERA in 143 1/3 frames.
  • Pirates left-hander Josh Fleming elected free agency after being designated for assignment last week. Fleming signed a split contract with the club back in February and was outrighted off the club’s roster in May, though he was selected back to the roster last month. Though he struggled in his first stint with the Pirates, he’s looked quite good in 12 1/3 innings of work since returning to the big leagues with a 1.46 ERA, though he’s only notched four strikeouts in that time. Still, teams on the hunt for lefty bullpen depth could consider turning to Fleming on the back of that solid recent work and his strong 58.4% career groundball rate.
  • Red Sox right-hander Alex Speas was outrighted to Triple-A after being designated for assignment to make room for catcher Danny Jansen on the club’s 40-man roster. Speas, 26, never appeared at the big league level for Boston after being claimed off waivers from the Astros late last month. Since making his MLB debut with the Rangers last year, the right-hander has just four big league appearances under his belt over which he owns a 9.00 ERA and matching 30% strikeout and walk rates. He’s struggled badly at the Triple-A level for four different organizations this year with a collective 11.47 ERA in 24 1/3 innings of work between the Astros, A’s, White Sox, and Red Sox affiliates.
  • Mets right-hander Shintaro Fujinami was outrighted to Triple-A after being designated for assignment to make room for the return of Kodai Senga from the injured list last week. Fujinami boasted impressive strikeout rates in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball but paired that high-octane stuff with control issues. He signed with the A’s during the 2022-23 offseason but struggled badly with them as he pitched to an 8.57 ERA with a 13% walk rate. His 4.85 ERA and 4.13 FIP with the Orioles were more palatable, leading the Mets to sign him to a one-year deal, but he’s struggled to a 10.95 ERA at the Triple-A level this year without pitching in the majors.

Mets Acquire Huascar Brazoban From Marlins

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The Mets acquired reliever Huascar Brazoban from the division-rival Marlins. Infield prospect Wilfredo Lara went back to Miami.

Brazoban wasn’t the subject of much trade speculation until today. He emerged as a late target for teams seeking relief help amidst a quietly strong season. Brazoban has tossed 30 2/3 innings through 20 appearances. He’s allowing only 2.93 earned runs per nine while striking out 27.2% of batters faced. Brazoban is getting grounders half the time opponents do make contact while limiting his walk rate to a solid 8.8% clip.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Brazoban has pitched in Miami for the past three seasons. He spent a decade in pro ball before getting his first major league look. Brazoban pitched in the Colorado system and spent some time in independent ball. It wasn’t until 2022 that he got a big league opportunity, shortly before his 33rd birthday.

Since he got such a late start to his MLB career, Brazoban is in an odd spot. He’s under team control for another four seasons beyond this one and won’t even qualify for arbitration for two seasons. The Marlins were under no financial pressure to move him, but he’s also very unlikely to be pitching at this level the next time Miami makes an effort to compete. The Fish fielded offers on a number of their relievers and ultimately cashed Brazoban in for a future asset.

Lara, 20, is a right-handed hitting infielder out of the Dominican Republic. He’s hitting .244/.349/.343 across 332 plate appearances in High-A this season. He’s drawing walks at a robust 12% clip while striking out 22.6% of the time. He’s a low-level developmental flier for the Fish.

The Mets designated catcher Logan Porter  to open a spot on their 40-man roster for Brazoban. New York signed him to a split contract a couple weeks ago. They’ve kept him in Triple-A on optional assignment. Porter’s major league experience comprises 11 games with the Royals last season.

Christina De Nicola of MLB.com first reported the Mets were acquiring Brazoban. Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase reported Miami was getting Lara in return.

Mets Acquire Tyler Zuber From Rays

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The Rays are dealing righty reliever Tyler Zuber to the Mets for minor league reliever Paul Gervase, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com (X link).  Reliever Ty Adcock was designated for assignment by the Mets to clear a spot for Zuber, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post.

Zuber, 29, was signed by the Rays to a minor league deal back in May out of the Atlantic League.  After striking out a third of the batters he faced at Triple-A over 21 2/3 innings, the Rays selected his contract nine days ago.  When Zuber took the hill against DJ LeMahieu and the Yankees earlier this month, it marked nearly three years between big league appearances.  Today, he’s been shipped to New York as the Rays make room for Hunter Bigge, acquired in the Isaac Paredes deal with the Cubs.  It appears Zuber may fall just shy of three years of Major League service (and arbitration eligibility) if he stays up with the Mets for the rest of their season and remains on their 40-man roster.

Zuber joins a Mets bullpen that also welcomed Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek in trades this month.  The Mets designated lefty Jake Diekman for assignment yesterday, calling up Matt Gage.  Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns also supplemented the club’s rotation today, adding Paul Blackburn in a trade with the A’s.

Gervase, a 6’10” 24-year-old righty, was drafted by the Mets out of Louisiana State in the 12th round in 2022.  He’s punched out 38% of batters faced at Double-A this year, but also walked 14%.  In his last 13 appearances, he’s whiffed over 41% of batters.  It’s been an interesting journey thus far for Gervase, who you can read more about in this New York Post article by Mark W. Sanchez last October.

Adcock, 27, was drafted by the Mariners in the eighth round back in 2019.  He made his big league debut last year, but was designated for assignment in April of this year.  The Tigers claimed him on waivers, and lost him to the Mets about a month later in another claim.  Adcock made only three appearances for the Mets, most recently allowing six runs in 1 1/3 innings on July 5th at Pittsburgh.  Adcock, who averaged 96.5 miles per hour in his brief big league stint this year, has a 5.24 ERA across three different Triple-A teams this year.

Mets Acquire Paul Blackburn

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The Mets strengthened their rotation depth, acquiring Paul Blackburn from the A’s for pitching prospect Kade Morris. Both teams have announced the deal.

New York was pressed into looking for a starter by the recent injuries to Christian Scott and Kodai Senga. New York was contemplating dealing from their rotation as recently as a few weeks ago. Scott went down with a UCL sprain while Senga’s return from the injured list was short-lived. He strained his calf in his season debut and might miss the rest of the year.

Blackburn has missed a good chunk of the year himself. He was shelved from early May onward by a stress reaction in his right foot. The A’s only reinstated him from the injured list last week. Blackburn tossed five innings of four-run ball against the Angels in his final start in an Oakland uniform. Including his eight appearances before landing on the shelf, he owns a 4.41 ERA through 51 innings.

The 30-year-old Blackburn made an All-Star team a couple seasons ago. He’s nevertheless more of a solid back-end arm than a high-end starter. Blackburn doesn’t throw especially hard and typically doesn’t miss a ton of bats. Last season’s 22.4% strikeout rate was a personal high, though that number typically lands closer to this year’s 18.3% mark. Blackburn attacks the strike zone and keeps the ball on the ground at an average or better clip.

Blackburn has posted an ERA in the low-4.00s in three straight seasons. While the A’s have used him exclusively out of the rotation, the Mets could give him a look in long relief. New York’s starting five consists of Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana, David Peterson and Tylor Megill. Blackburn could stay stretched out for multiple innings in the bullpen or displace one of Peterson or Megill from the rotation. José Buttó is also on hand but the Mets seem to prefer him in a relief role rather than stretching him back out for starting work.

It comes at a fairly modest financial cost. Blackburn is playing on a $3.45MM arbitration salary, around $1.132MM of which remains. He’ll be eligible for what should be a slight raise next season before reaching free agency after the ’25 campaign. New York is paying a 110% tax on whatever salary they take on this summer, so this will cost them roughly $2.38MM for the stretch run.

Morris, 22, was New York’s third-round pick a year ago. The University of Nevada product has combined for a 3.51 ERA in 92 1/3 innings between two A-ball levels. He’s striking out an above-average 24.1% of opponents against a 7.6% walk rate. Baseball America ranked the 6’3″ righty as the #26 prospect in the New York farm system. BA credits him with a solid four-pitch mix and above-average athleticism and control. There’s no headline offering in the arsenal, but Morris has the makings of a potential starter down the line.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the Mets and A’s were nearing a Blackburn trade. Joel Sherman of the New York Post confirmed that agreement was in place. Will Sammon of the Athletic first reported the A’s would get Morris in return.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Pirates Acquire Josh Walker From Mets

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The Pirates announced the acquisition of left-hander Josh Walker from the Mets for rookie ball pitcher Nicolas Carreno. The Mets designated the lefty for assignment last week. The Bucs had an open 40-man spot and didn’t need to make a corresponding move.

Walker, 29, spent just over a year on the Mets’ 40-man roster. He was selected in May of 2023 and spent most of the time until his DFA on optional assignment. To this point, he has 22 1/3 major league innings on his ledger, having allowed 6.45 earned runs per nine. He has a 22.3% strikeout rate, 11.7% walk rate and 36.8% ground ball rate so far.

As if often the case, the minor league work has been more impressive. Between last year and this year, he has a 2.33 ERA in 58 innings at the Triple-A level. His 13.8% walk rate there is certainly high but he’s also punched out 32.1% of batters faced.

The lefty can still be optioned for the rest of this year and one additional season, so the Bucs are bolstering their left-handed relief depth. They currently have Aroldis Chapman and Jalen Beeks as their southpaws in the big league bullpen but both are impending free agents. As is Ryan Borucki, who is on the injured list. Walker has less than a year of service time and could be a long-term piece if he hangs onto his roster spot.

The 18-year-old Carreno has started eight games in the Dominican Summer League this season. He’s a 5’10” left-hander out of Venezuela.

Robert Murray of FanSided reported the trade terms before the announcement.

Marlins “Closing In” On Trevor Rogers Trade; Multiple Teams Still Involved In Bidding

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11:42am: The Marlins are “closing in” on a trade of Rogers, Craig Mish of SportsGrid and the Miami Herald reports. At this point, there are still multiple teams bidding for his services, but it seems the Fish are close to selecting an offer and then turning their focus to the wide array of relievers they could move today.

10:10am: The market for Marlins left-hander Trevor Rogers has picked up some steam this morning, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports. He’s among a slew of Marlins who could potentially be moved before this evening’s trade deadline. SNY’s Andy Martino adds that the Mets are one team that’s been talking to Miami about a deal for the 26-year-old Rogers.

Rogers, the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year runner-up, has had a healthy 2024 season after missing the majority of the 2023 campaign with a biceps strain and considerable time in 2022 due to both back spasms and a lat strain. He hasn’t been the same pitcher after navigating those health troubles, pitching to a 4.53 earned run average with diminished velocity (92.2 mph average fastball), strikeout (18%) and walk (9.7%) rates in 105 1/3 innings this season.

That said, Rogers was legitimately excellent as a rookie. The former No. 13 overall pick (2017) burst onto the scene with 133 innings of 2.66 ERA ball, a 28.5% strikeout rate and an 8.4% walk rate. His fastball was averaging a much more encouraging 94.6 mph at the time, but Rogers has some track record, some pedigree as a former top pick and, perhaps most importantly, plenty of affordable club control remaining.

The silver lining to those injuries (for the Marlins anyway) is that they limited Rogers’ time on the field and thus weighed down his price tag in arbitration. He’s earning just $1.525MM this season and is under club control for an additional two years. If a club feels they can coax another level out of Rogers — even if it’s not all the way back to his 2021 form — he’s a highly appealing option. Even if another club is simply looking at him as a controllable and affordable back-of-the-rotation arm with a full slate of three option years remaining, however, there’s some value in that as well.

The Mets are a fit for just such a depth option in the rotation. Veterans Luis Severino, Jose Quintana and Sean Manaea lead a staff that also includes homegrown arms Tylor Megill and David Peterson. It’s not long ago that there was some thought to the Mets actually trading away a veteran arm like Quintana even as they looked to remain in contention, but the outlook has changed dramatically in Queens with likely season-ending injuries to both Kodai Senga (high-grade calf strain) and top prospect Christian Scott (UCL sprain).

Rogers isn’t necessarily a concrete upgrade over Megill and Peterson at the back of Carlos Mendoza’s staff, although it’s always fair to wonder how a change of scenery might impact a talented but struggling arm like Rogers. But even if Rogers is indeed viewed as a pure depth play for the Mets, there’s good reason to land that type of arm. With Scott and Senga now on the shelf and with veteran Adrian Houser’s recent DFA, the Mets don’t have any other rotation options on the 40-man roster. Southpaw Joey Lucchesi and righty Max Kranick are depth candidates in Triple-A after they both cleared waivers earlier this season, but that’s not sufficient for a team targeting a postseason berth.

Mets Considering Tanner Scott, John Brebbia

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The Mets have already added Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek to their bullpen this month. They don’t appear to be content with that pair of acquisitions as they remain linked to a handful of relievers.

Tim Britton and Will Sammon of the Athletic write that the Mets have discussed a pursuit of White Sox righty John Brebbia. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that New York is one of multiple teams that has engaged Chicago on southpaw Tanner Banks. While the Sox relievers are more middle innings or setup options, FanSided’s Robert Murray suggests the Mets have also shown interest in top rental closer Tanner Scott.

Brebbia and Scott are both very likely to land elsewhere tomorrow. They’re each impending free agents on last place teams. Brebbia’s contract contains a $6MM mutual option with a $1.5MM buyout, but it’s fair to presume that will not be exercised by both parties. The Sox righty is playing this season on a modest $4MM deal.

While he owns an underwhelming 5.71 earned run average, Brebbia has more intriguing peripherals. He has fanned almost 30% of batters faced against a tidy 6.6% walk percentage. A lofty .346 average on balls in platy against him is the primary reason for his disappointing run prevention mark. The bat-missing ability should get him a middle relief spot on a contender.

Banks is a less clear trade candidate because he’s controllable for the foreseeable future. Yet he’s already 32 years old on a Sox team at the nadir of a rebuild. It’s unlikely that Banks is playing a meaningful role the next time the White Sox are in contention. He’s having a solid ’24 season, fanning nearly 27% of opposing hitters against a 7.3% walk rate. Banks has logged 48 innings of 4.13 ERA ball. He’s still two seasons away from qualifying for arbitration.

Scott is a much bigger name and would be tougher to land. The hard-throwing southpaw is on the radar of most contenders. He’s striking out 29.1% of opposing hitters with a sterling 1.18 ERA across 45 2/3 frames for the Marlins. Scott has locked down 18 of 20 save chances.

Latest On Giants’ Deadline Plans

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The Giants surprised many with tonight’s stunning trade that sent Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson to the Braves, yet the move doesn’t appear to be signalling a larger trend towards a selloff in the Bay Area.  Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via X) writes that “it doesn’t sound as if the Giants have plans to make any more significant subtractions, especially from the rotation.”  That latter specification implies that Blake Snell probably isn’t going to be on the move, despite increased speculation in the last few days that teams have been inquiring about the left-hander’s availability.

Whether the Giants make any noteworthy additions also still seems to be in question, as Slusser feels the team could bring in a new outfielder “if they add.”  The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly writes that the Giants are looking for a good defender to play center field, and Heliot Ramos would then be moved into a corner outfield slot.  Star prospect Marco Luciano will be recalled for another crack at the big leagues, and Luciano will factor into the DH picture with Michael Conforto and (when healthy) Wilmer Flores now that Soler is gone.

Naturally plans could still change as things develop leading up to the deadline, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal recently suggested that the Giants feel they could move Conforto to a team that would take on the rest of the roughly $6MM remaining of his $18MM salary.  It could be that the Soler trade already provides enough financial relief that the Giants wouldn’t feel compelled to move Conforto as well, though if payroll isn’t a primary concern, the Giants could be freeing up some money to be flexible enough for a larger splash if an pricier option becomes available.

This type of measured approach to the trade deadline isn’t likely to please the San Francisco fanbase, yet it speaks to the team’s uncertain position in the standings.  The Giants are 53-55 with a -16 run differential, but a four-game winning streak has brought them within four games of an NL wild card berth.  With a number of lesser opponents (i.e. the A’s, White Sox, Marlins) all coming up on the schedule in the next five weeks, the ingredients might be there for the Giants to make a run…..or the front office could see the hill as too tall to climb.

In regards to Snell in particular, Baggarly says San Francisco would “have to be overwhelmed” to trade the southpaw, and the team is “not expecting something to materialize” between now and 5pm CT on Tuesday.  For comparison’s sake, Baggarly said the Giants would want more for Snell than the Blue Jays got from the Astros in the Yusei Kikuchi trade earlier tonight. 

The New York Post’s Jon Heyman also reported that the Giants weren’t willing to include any money in a Snell trade to cover the significant remaining cost of his contract.  The two-year, $62MM deal Snell signed last offseason breaks down as a $17MM signing bonus that has already been paid, a $15MM salary for 2024 (so roughly $5MM remains owed), and then $30MM in 2025.  While Snell can opt out of that second year and return to free agency, rival teams are understandably wary about taking on that possible hefty cost, considering that Snell has a checkered injury history.

An opt-out didn’t appear to on the cards whatsoever for Snell just a few weeks ago, yet he has revived his trade value with some exceptional pitching since his return from the injured list.  Snell has an 0.75 ERA and a 35.7% strikeout rate over 24 innings in his last four starts, suddenly once again looking like the dominant ace who won the NL Cy Young Award last year.

The Cubs, Orioles, Padres, and Yankees are all known to have expressed some level of interest about Snell, and SNY’s Andy Martino reports that the Mets have also “checked in” with the Giants, with “no traction” yet on any possible deal.  Martino implies that this might have been something of a due diligence call from the Mets, as naturally any contender would want to at least touch base with San Francisco about what it would take to pry Snell away.

Kodai Senga Likely To Miss Rest Of Regular Season Due To “High Grade” Calf Strain

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TODAY: Senga has been moved to the 60-day injured list to open up a 40-man roster spot for Jesse Winker, who was officially acquired from the Nationals.  Sept. 25 is now the earliest that Senga is eligible to return to action, but by all accounts his 2024 season seems to be over.

SATURDAY, 12:46PM: Senga has a “high grade” calf strain and isn’t likely to pitch again during the regular season, manager Carlos Mendoza told ESPN’s Jorge Castillo (X link) and other reporters.  There is a rough recovery timeline of 8-10 weeks, so it is possible Senga might be available should the Mets make a postseason run.

11:24AM: Kodai Senga’s first start of the 2024 season was cut short by injury, and the Mets announced today that the right-hander has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left calf strain.  Righty Eric Orze was also optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, and the two roster spots will be filled by Tylor Megill (called up from Triple-A) and new arrival Ryne Stanek (acquired yesterday in a trade with the Mariners).

After suffering a capsule strain in his shoulder during Spring Training, Senga’s recovery was delayed by some mechanical adjustments and then a triceps injury, pushing his season debut back to last night’s game against the Braves.  Despite the long layoff, Senga was looking sharp, and finished the start with two earned runs on two hits and a walk over 5 1/3 innings of work.  Unfortunately, that final out of Senga’s start saw the righty fall to the ground while leaving the mound during an Austin Riley pop-up, and Senga very gingerly walked off the field after consulting with team trainers.

Senga was scheduled to undergo an MRI today, and the results of that scan have now led to this immediate placement on the 15-day IL.  More details on the severity of the strain will likely be revealed later today, though from the admittedly non-scientific method of looking at the obvious pain on Senga’s face in the aftermath of the injury, one would suspect he’ll be missing longer than just 15 days.  Depending on the nature of the strain, it isn’t out of the question that Senga’s season could be in jeopardy.

Even if Senga is able to pitch again in 2024, the calf strain is another brutal setback in what has been a frustrating sophomore season for the righty in Major League Baseball.  The longtime NPB star came to the majors with much fanfare when he signed a five-year, $75MM free agent deal with New York during the 2022-23 offseason, and immediately delivered on the hype by posting a 2.98 ERA over 166 1/3 innings in 2023.  Amidst an otherwise hugely disappointing season for the Mets, Senga’s quick impact at least provided some hope that the franchise might be able to turn things around in relatively short order.

Ironically, the Mets have indeed gotten on track this year, except with virtually no contributions from Senga apart from Friday’s start.  The rotation has been something of a weak link in general due to injuries, though the group of Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, and Jose Quintana have been solid if unspectacular.  Senga’s return was supposed to add an ace alongside that trio, but New York has now been bit again by the injury bug, between Senga’s calf strain and Christian Scott’s UCL strain.

Megill or Jose Butto could get another look in the rotation with Senga out, as Adrian Houser is probably no longer an option after being designated for assignment earlier this week.  With the Mets increasingly looking like legitimate contenders, the trade deadline presents an obvious route for the Amazins to bring a new starter into the fold, though naturally such deals are difficult to find.  Any new pitchers will add to New York’s already immense luxury tax bill, and president of baseball operations David Stearns might not be too keen on trading significant talent from the farm system.

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