July 18: McFarland has elected free agency, according to his transactions tracker.
July 17: The Mets have sent reliever Stephen Ridings outright to Triple-A Syracuse, according to the transactions log at MLB.com. Since New York hadn’t previously announced he was on waivers, the move creates a vacancy on the 40-man roster. The count drops to 39.
Ridings joined the organization on a waiver claim from the Yankees last November. A lat strain kept him on the injured list though mid-June. New York promptly optioned him to Triple-A upon reinstating him from the IL and he has yet to make a big league appearance as a Met.
The 6’8″ righty has made seven appearances with Syracuse, allowing six runs with six strikeouts and walks apiece over 6 1/3 innings. There’s some understandable signs of rust after the 27-year-old missed almost the entire 2022 campaign with a shoulder issue. Ridings’ sole MLB experience consists of five innings of two-run ball for the Yankees two seasons back.
This is the first time in Ridings’ career in which he has cleared waivers. He also has less than three years of MLB service, so he won’t have the ability to test free agency. Ridings will stick in the organization as a non-roster player and try to pitch his way back into the MLB mix. If he’s not added back to the 40-man roster by season’s end, he’ll qualify for minor league free agency to start the offseason.
The transaction log also indicates that veteran southpaw T.J. McFarland cleared outright waivers. Unlike Ridings, McFarland had been designated for assignment before he was placed on waivers, so he was already off the 40-man roster. He made just three MLB appearances with New York but has had a strong season in Syracuse, working to a 2.76 ERA with a 25.9% strikeout rate in the minors.
McFarland has more than enough service time to decline an outright assignment while retaining what remains of this year’s salary. It isn’t clear if he’ll head back to free agency or return to Syracuse and hope for another opportunity in Queens.
This creates a spot for an add to the 40 man, be it a future activation of Sam Coonrod, or a addition through a trade.
I can’t imagine it would be to bring up a prospect like Mike Vasil, for that would be very un-Buck/ un-Mets like.
@EasternLeagueVeteran Well, the Mets brought up Megill after he’d had only 45 innings above A ball and they never sent him back to learn his craft until it was too late; and they brought up Peterson despite his having no success in the minors above A ball (just the one year in AA with an ERA of 4.19 and an RA close to 5), and they though his lucky, rookie ERA meant something, so god only knows what they’ll do, and why, and to whom.
Haverford College legend
Definitely Vasilating on bringing Mike up.
As for Koonrod? There is a slam dunk stereotypical joke there but I can’t jump.
What’s worse, being outrighted, or having to work in Syracuse?
Not a good sign for his future, the Ridings on the wall.
Lol Mets,
The Mets need to be in fire sale mode as in everything must go, but according to the Jon Heyman article in NY Post this morning they really have nothing to sell and won’t be receiving a haul for any of their players as they are all too old, underperforming or too overpaid. You can’t make this stuff up. The Worst team $ can buy.
Mets’ lack of valuable contracts would make trade deadline surrender a waste of time
By Jon Heyman
It really gets worse. Steve Cohen is afraid to fire his incompetent FO, manager & coaching staff because then nobody else would want to work for him so these incompetents have total job security like the underperforming players on guaranteed contracts.
The minor league teams are also all losers with no top tier SP in the system.
I’m sure that the Marlins are willing to trade Avisail Garcia for something on the Mets.
@Robrock30 Well, if Cohen hired a real GM and a real PBOPs, he couldn’t play GM any more. It’s why he hired Eppler–no one else was going to and Eppler was willing to be Cohen’s beard. Eppler admitted as much when he said he had to go to Cohen to get his approval just to cut Ruf and Ruf’s $3.1m salary during Spring Training.
Imagine AA going to Liberty to ask permission to cut a platoon DH making next to nothing while putting up an OPS around .350. It wouldn’t happen.
Because Heyman has proved such a valuable source in the past.
nypost.com/2023/07/17/mets-surrendering-at-trade-d…
If you can’t trust Heyman, then look at the standings and use common sense.
The Mets bullpen is in full on fire starting mode! These guys have yet to meet a lead they can’t squander! The Arson Squad looked awful against the Sox tonight.
Who?
Watch him end up with the Cardinals