The Mets announced that Craig Kimbrel‘s minor league contract has been selected to the active roster, as reported earlier today. To create space on the 26-man roster, the Mets have designated left-hander Richard Lovelady.
This is the ninth time Lovelady has been DFA’ed in his career, with five of those transactions coming from the Mets in a relationship that began when New York first signed the lefty to a big league deal last June. Lovelady is out of minor league options, which is why the Mets and other teams have had to first expose him to waivers before outrighting him off a 40-man roster.
During the offseason, the Mets signed Lovelady to a split contract that pays him $1MM when on an active roster, and $350K while in the minor leagues. Lovelady would have to give up this guaranteed salary if he clears waivers and declines an outright assignment in favor of free agency, which makes it more likely that he’ll stick around in the Mets organization. It shouldn’t be assumed that Lovelady will clear waivers, however. The Nationals claimed the southpaw last January after the Mets’ last DFA, but New York then claimed him back in March after the Nats also designated Lovelady for assignment.
After all of these comings and goings, Lovelady made the Amazins’ Opening Day roster and at least got himself a few weeks of time in the bigs. Lovelady has a 3.68 ERA and a 54.5% grounder rate over 7 1/3 innings and six appearances for New York this season, with a modest 18.8% strikeout rate and 12.5% walk rate. Most of the damage (.958 OPS) has come from right-handed batters, while Lovelady has limited left-handed batters to a .545 OPS.
Lovelady’s career splits are pronounced enough that it is worth wondering if he came along in the wrong time — Lovelady made his MLB debut a season before the league instituted the three-batter rule, basically ending the era of the lefty specialist. The Mets clearly like what Lovelady offers as a depth arm for their ever-rotating bullpen, even if the team perpetually views him as an expendable roster piece.
That’s only because he Lovelady by the name that is short for Richard for some reason
Stearns is cooking today!
Cya Dick
Back to the Nats!
Somebody get this man to a Japanese team already
He’ll re-sign a MiLB deal.
No he won’t. He’s not likely to get a better contract than the one he has now. If he clears waivers, he will choose to stay with the Mets and not declare free agency. If he gets claimed, the claioming team is agreeing to take on this contract.
Geofft: why post a worthwhile comment about baseball when you can make a dumb pre-adolescent joke about his name instead?
From what I’ve seen from Mets fans, (at least the ones I hangout with.) Richard Lovelady is looked at the same way the same way Braves fans look at Luke Williams. Constant DFA fodder that sticks around the organization and has you constantly banging your head against the wall every time they come up for a MLB stint. That being said, Im happy for both of them on personal level for sticking it out!
i’m surprised someone with your username went with Williams instead of the obvious comp – although I think we have another dozen or so of these back and forths before Lovelady gets to the Jesse Chavez level
Jesse Chavez was actually fairly well liked amongst braves fans at least. He seemed to only be a good reliever for the Braves. I’m admittedly bias towards the guy though!
Great username by the way, Clever! I liked quite a bit of Danzig stuff! Particularly Misfits era Danzig.
He’s been cut once ,twice , three times a Lovelady
This lil taste of experience was just a booty call, you know he’ll be back for more
Dicky is an achiever. Made around two million bucks over his ten year career. Maybe going to this tenth organization in the last four seasons.
Hope someone claims him. Carlos Mendoza loves giving critical innings to castoffs and journeymen. Never learns bullpen management.
Saw this coming
Had he been predilected towards picking up the rattle with his right hand the world never would have heard of Richard Lovelady.
But now that we have, say this isn’t so, Mets. Bring him back soon.
Next stop, Blue Jays
Don’t be cruel…Jays fans have seen that chapter before…
@bestone
LOL.. The cruel part wasn’t having Lovelady on the team, it was picking him over Ryan Yarborough who happily walked in the Yankee’s clubhouse.
Mark Shapiro on line 2, lol.
Hopefully Garcia and Peterson are next and then Mendoza gets canned too. Mets will never win anything meaningful with that imbecile in the dugout.
Classic OS LOOGY. To bad its not 2010.
Somebody missed the boat around the third DFA in making the Mets/Lovelady saga a reality show. At best it would be a smash hit on the MLB Network. At worst it would be a distraction from the results on the field.
I wonder how often he is used for the 2 out lefty loophole?
They need to can Mendoza.
If these teams keep pounding Dick he will end up filing domestic abuse charges.