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Sean Reid-Foley

Mets To Select Sean Reid-Foley

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Right-hander Sean Reid-Foley is on his way to join the Mets from Triple-A Syracuse, as first reported by Mike Mayer of Metsmerized. He’s not on the 40-man roster, so New York will need to open a spot on the 40-man roster to formally select his contract.

The 27-year-old Reid-Foley is 15 months removed from last year’s Tommy John surgery and has pitched 22 innings of 4.09 ERA ball across three minor league levels as he’s worked back into game shape. That includes a less palatable 4.96 ERA in 16 1/3 Triple-A frames, though the former top prospect has a 3.95 ERA and 42.5% strikeout rate over his past 14 Triple-A appearances (23 strikeouts, 54 batters faced).

Reid-Foley has pitched in parts of five big league seasons, all of them coming with either the Blue Jays or the Mets. In 102 1/3 innings at the MLB level, the former second-round pick (2017) has posted a 4.66 ERA with a solid 23.6% strikeout rate but a bloated 13.7% walk rate. He’s split his time relatively evenly between the bullpen and the rotation, carrying very similar marks in ERA, strikeout rate, walk rate, ground-ball rate and home run rate, regardless of role. Like most pitchers, he’s thrown harder out of the bullpen; last year’s career-high 96 mph average on his fastball in relief was 2.4 mph north of the 93.6 mph he averaged in 2017-18 when working primarily as a starter.

The Mets’ bullpen has been a revolving door since the trade deadline. While veterans Adam Ottavino, Brooks Raley, Drew Smith and Trevor Gott have been constants, but they’ve used a stunning 17 relievers since the trade deadline. The Mets have cycled through journeymen such as Jimmy Yacabonis, Dennis Santana, Tyson Miller, Vinny Nittoli and Adam Kolarek (among others) while trying to patch things together on a thinned out pitching staff. Reid-Foley will become the latest entrant into that relief corps carousel. He’s out of minor league options, so he’ll have to either stick in the bullpen or else quickly be designated for assignment to make way for the next arm.

The Mets haven’t had a starter complete five innings since Kodai Senga tossed seven frames on Saturday. Their bullpen has covered 11 2/3 innings in the past three games alone, so it’s not exactly a surprise to see them bringing in a fresh arm.

Mets Sign Three To Minor League Deals

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The Mets have signed three right-handed relievers to minor league deals, according to their transactions tracker at MLB.com. Tommy Hunter, Sean Reid-Foley and Jimmy Yacabonis have joined the organization and will presumably be invited to major league Spring Training, though no formal announcement of that nature has been made.

Hunter is the oldest and most experienced of the bunch, as he’s currently 36 years old and has 494 MLB games under his belt. He has an even ERA of 4.00 thus far in his career, often succeeding with strong control. His career walk rate is 5.5%, well below this year’s MLB average for relievers of 9.1%. Outside of an injury-marred 2021, he’s never posted a rate higher than 6.9% in any single season. In 2022, he posted a 2.42 ERA but injuries limited him to just 22 1/3 innings. That’s been a recurring issue in recent years, as Hunter hasn’t reached 25 innings in a season since 2018.

Reid-Foley, 27, has pitched in the past five MLB seasons, the first three with the Blue Jays and the last three with the Mets. He came to New York from Toronto in the Steven Matz trade. He underwent Tommy John surgery in May and will miss at least part of the 2023 season. He was non-tendered by the Mets at the end of the season. He has a 4.66 ERA in 102 1/3 career innings, along with a 23.6% strikeout rate, 13.7% walk rate and 40.4% ground ball rate.

Yacabonis, 31 in March, put up an 8.36 ERA in 14 big league innings in 2022 but was much better in the minors. He tossed 33 2/3 innings down on the farm for various teams with a 3.21 ERA, 31.4% strikeout rate and 10.9% walk rate. He was outrighted by the Rays in November and elected free agency.

The Mets have a lot of work to do in rebuilding their bullpen as Adam Ottavino, Seth Lugo, Trevor Williams, Joely Rodriguez and Trevor May all hit free agency. Edwin Díaz was also in that group, though he was quickly re-signed. They will likely have more moves to come in bolstering the bullpen, but it’s understandable why they would look to add multiple depth options to the system.

National League Non-Tenders: 11/18/22

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The deadline to tender contract to arbitration-eligible players is tonight at 7:00pm Central. Here’s a rundown of the players on National League teams that have been non-tendered today. This post will be updated as more decisions are revealed. All players non-tendered go directly to free agency

MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected salaries for all arb-eligible players last month.

Later Updates

  • The Reds have non-tendered righty Daniel Duarte and minor league outfielder Allan Cerda, taking both off the 40-man roster. Neither had been eligible for arbitration, but Cincinnati will send both into free agency without having to place either on waivers. Duarte made three relief appearances this year, his first as a big leaguer. Cerda, 23 next month, has yet to reach the majors. He hit .198/.350/.401 in 257 plate appearances in Double-A. Cincinnati also announced that six players designated for assignment earlier this week — Aristides Aquino, Jared Solomon, Kyle Dowdy, Derek Law, Art Warren and Jeff Hoffman — were all let go. Both Duarte and Cerda have already agreed to re-sign with Cincinnati on minor league deals, reports Mark Sheldon of MLB.com (Twitter link).

Earlier Moves

  • The Braves freed a pair of 40-man roster spots by non-tendering minor league pitchers Brooks Wilson and Alan Rangel. Rangel spent most of this past season in Double-A, while Wilson didn’t pitch in 2022. Atlanta also announced that three players non-tendered earlier this week — Guillermo Heredia, Jackson Stephens and Silvino Bracho — have been let go.
  • The Giants have non-tendered relievers Mauricio Llovera and Alex Young and infielder Donovan Walton, clearing three spots on the 40-man roster. Walton was acquired from the Mariners midseason and hit .158/.179/.303 in 24 games with San Francisco. Young made 24 appearances after his contract was purchased from the Guardians. Llovera pitched 17 times after signing a minor league deal last offseason. Additionally San Francisco non-tendered seven players who’d been designated for assignment earlier this week: Drew Strotman, Meibrys Viloria, Colton Welker, Jarlin Garcia, Dom Nunez, Sam Delaplane and Jason Vosler.
  • The Pirates non-tendered lefty Manny Banuelos and catcher Tyler Heineman. Both had been designated for assignment earlier this week.
  • The Diamondbacks non-tendered righty Reyes Moronta, the team announced. The reliever posted a 4.50 ERA in 17 outings with the Snakes after being claimed off waivers from the Dodgers.
  • The Padres announced they’ve cut loose catcher Jorge Alfaro and righty Efrain Contreras. Alfaro had been projected at a $3.6MM salary this season, a hefty amount after a .246/.285/.383 season. Contreras hasn’t pitched in the majors; he had a tough year in High-A and loses his 40-man spot spot as a result.
  • The Cubs have non-tendered center fielder Rafael Ortega, as well as minor league pitchers Brailyn Marquez and Alexander Vizcaino. Ortega has seen a decent amount of action the last two years and had a respectable .241/.331/.358 line through 371 plate appearances this past season. Nevertheless, the Cubs opted against a salary in the $1.7MM range for next year. Marquez has been a top pitching prospect but has battled injury issues for the past few years. Vizcaino was part of the Anthony Rizzo trade with the Yankees but didn’t pitch in the minors this year.
  • The Nationals non-tendered righty Tommy Romero. He’d been designated for assignment earlier this week. Washington confirmed the previously-reported decisions to part with Luke Voit and Erick Fedde.
  • The Brewers cut loose right-handers Trevor Gott, Jandel Gustave and Luis Perdomo. All three were part of Milwaukee’s middle innings mix, with Gustave’s 45 appearances the most among that group. Gott had a 4.15 ERA over 45 2/3 innings after signing a free agent deal last offseason.
  • The Rockies non-tendered infielder/outfielder Garrett Hampson, the club announced. The 28-year-old had been projected for a $2.1MM salary. A speedster with the ability to play anywhere up the middle, Hampson just hasn’t hit at the big league level. He’s coming off a .211/.287/.307 showing through 226 plate appearances.
  • The Mets announced they’ve non-tendered Sean Reid-Foley and confirmed they’re letting go of Dominic Smith, who’s non-tender was previously reported. This year, Reid-Foley made seven MLB appearances, tossing 10 innings of relief.
  • The Dodgers have non-tendered infielder Edwin Rios and utilityman Luke Williams, per a club announcement. Los Angeles also confirmed the previously reported non-tender of former MVP Cody Bellinger. Rios has shown some offensive promise in the past and owns a .212/.299/.492 line through 112 big league games. He missed a good chunk of this past season with a hamstring strain. Williams was claimed off waivers from the Marlins recently; the Dodgers could look to bring him back on a minor league deal.

Mets’ Sean Reid-Foley To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Mets GM Billy Eppler announced that right-hander Sean Reid-Foley will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow, per Mike Puma of the New York Post. The 26-year-old was transferred to the 60-day IL just a few days ago, so no further transactions are imminent for the Mets at this time. Given the timing of the surgery, it seems likely that Reid-Foley won’t be able to resume  full baseball activities until late spring or summer of next year.

Acquired in a swap with Toronto in January of last year, Reid-Foley has shifted almost exclusively to relief work for the Mets. The results have been mixed, as the right-hander saw his strikeout and walk rates reach career-best levels last season. That progress has reversed through 10 innings so far this season, however, thanks in part to the return of control issues that plagued him even as a touted prospect in the Blue Jays’ farm system. All told, Reid-Foley owns a 5.28 ERA in two seasons (30 plus innings) out of the Mets bullpen.

With less than two years of service time entering the season, Reid-Foley is a ways away from qualifying for the arbitration process. Given his general ineffectiveness and injury woes with the Mets so far, however, it’s possible that the pitcher will find himself with a different team this offseason when a 40-man roster spot is required again. Additionally, the current front office leader, Billy Eppler, was not aboard when the team acquired the right-hander in the first place, which could work against the pitcher’s chance at holding down a roster spot despite his pedigree.

Mets To Select Stephen Nogosek, Transfer Sean Reid-Foley To 60-Day IL

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10:45 am: Mike Puma of the New York Post relays that the corresponding move is Sean Reid-Foley being transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list. The righty was placed on the IL May 1 due to a partial UCL tear and wasn’t expected to return anytime soon.

9:24 am: The Mets are going to be selecting the contract of right-hander Stephen Nogosek, manager Buck Showalter tells Tim Healey of Newsday. He isn’t on the 40-man roster, meaning a corresponding move will be necessary in that regard. Since the team is playing a doubleheader today, the active roster swells from 26 to 27 for the day. Healey adds that Adonis Medina has technically been optioned but will stay with the team today as that 27th man.

Nogosek, 27, was drafted by the Red Sox but was sent to the Mets in the 2017 Addison Reed trade. He made it to the big leagues in 2019 and was able to throw 6 2/3 innings that year. At the end of that season, he was outrighted off the roster but made it back in 2021, logging another 3 innings. Those 9 2/3 frames mark the sum total of his big league experience so far. He was non-tendered and re-signed to a minor league deal in the offseason.

He’s off to a great start so far this season, throwing 10 2/3 innings over seven Triple-A appearances. His ERA is 1.69 in that time, along with an excellent 31% strikeout rate. Although walks have often been an issue for him in his career, his rate is just 4.8% in the early going. If he can sustain that type of production, he could be a nice piece for a bullpen that was been one of the only weak points on a strong Mets team. The team’s relievers have a 3.72 ERA, placing them 20th out of the 30 MLB teams in that department. However, the advanced metrics are more bullish, with FIP placing them at 3.30 (8th), xFIP at 3.21 (3rd) and SIERA at 2.83 (4th).

Mets’ Sean Reid-Foley Placed On IL With Partial UCL Tear

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The Mets have informed reporters, including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, that right-handed pitcher Sean Reid-Foley has been diagnosed with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He left last night’s game with discomfort in that elbow. The club hasn’t specified the next course of action, though Tommy John surgery is an option. Even if Reid-Foley doesn’t require surgery, the non-surgical options for a partial UCL tear require lengthy absences. Reid-Foley was placed on the injured list with righty Yoan Lopez being recalled to take his spot on the active roster.

A second round draft pick of the Blue Jays, Reid-Foley was one of the three players that went from the Jays to the Mets in the Steven Matz trade. He was considered the #75 prospect in the game by Baseball America in 2017, but slid off the list in subsequent years. Between the two clubs, he’s appeared in each of the past five seasons, but thrown only 102 1/3 career innings. In that time, he has a 4.66 ERA, with a 23.6% strikeout rate and 13.7% walk rate.

Reid-Foley and the Mets will now try to figure out the next steps, but he’s not likely to return soon regardless. For example, Nationals’ hurler Joe Ross was diagnosed with a partial UCL tear in August of last year. He ultimately did not undergo surgery, but still hasn’t made it back off the injured list. Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com provided an update today, that Ross will soon start throwing to live hitters. However, the Nats placed him on the 60-day IL to begin the season, indicating they don’t anticipate him returning before June, ultimately amounting to an absence of nearly a year, despite avoiding surgery.

Reid-Foley had one year and 93 days of MLB service time going into this season, meaning he won’t qualify for arbitration until after the 2023 campaign, at the earliest. There’d be almost no cost for the Mets to just hold onto him even if he requires a lengthy rehab process. He can be moved to the 60-day IL at some point and therefore won’t require a roster spot, but the 60-day IL goes away in the offseason, meaning he could have a tenuous hold on his roster spot at that point if he hasn’t returned to health.

Mets Place J.D. Davis On 10-Day IL, Designate Albert Almora

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The Mets announced a trio of roster moves prior to today’s game, including the placement of third baseman J.D. Davis on the 10-day injured list due to a left hand sprain.  The placement is retroactive to September 23, but Davis’ 2021 season seems in all likelihood to be over.  In corresponding roster moves, New York activated righty Sean Reid-Foley from the 60-day injured list, and designated outfielder Albert Almora for assignment.

This marks the fourth time this season that Davis has had to spend time on the IL due to his bothersome left hand, and as a result, Davis made only 211 plate appearances over 73 games.  Davis has also been in a rough slump for over a month, which further reduced his playing time since Jonathan Villar (who ended up getting the bulk of third base playing time during Davis’ IL stints) became the top choice at the hot corner.

Despite his late slump, Davis will still finish with very strong numbers during his abbreviated season.  The 28-year-old has hit .285/.384/.436 with five homers over 211 PA, good for a 126 OPS+ and 130 wRC+.  This essentially matches Davis’ overall slash line in a Mets uniform, since he has done nothing but hit since being acquired from the Astros prior to the 2019 season.

While hitting production hasn’t been an issue, Davis’ glovework as a third baseman and left fielder has been subpar, at times making him something of an odd man out as New York has tried to figure out to best deploy its roster.  The Mets will face plenty of question marks in their infield this winter, and since they have already dangled Davis in trade talks, the club might be ready to move on.  With three years of arbitration control remaining and those strong numbers at the plate, Davis would certainly draw some attention as a very interesting trade chip as the Mets look to upgrade the roster.

Known as a defensive specialist during his time with the Cubs, Almora was signed to a one-year, $1.25MM deal to provide some depth for the Mets outfield.  As it turned out, Almora was pretty average with the glovework, he spent over five weeks on the injured list with shoulder problems, and his .321 OPS over 54 PA resulted in a minus-9 wRC+ and minus-11 OPS+.  Since the start of the 2019 season, Almora has hit only .216/.256/.342 in 451 plate appearances, and he’ll surely have to settle for a minor league deal if he catches on with another club in the offseason.

Reid-Foley hasn’t pitched since June 30 due to right elbow inflammation.  Between this long injury absence and several shuttles back and forth from Triple-A earlier in the season, Reid-Foley has tossed 20 2/3 innings (with a 5.23 ERA) in his first season with the Mets.

Mets Designate Jacob Barnes For Assignment

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The Mets have designated right-hander Jacob Barnes for assignment and recalled righty Sean Reid-Foley from Triple-A Syracuse, per a team announcement.

It’s been a rough showing for the 31-year-old Barnes with the Mets. In 18 2/3 innings, the former Brewers, Royals and Angels hurler has been tagged for 13 runs on 19 hits (six homers) and five walks. He’s punched out 18 batters and shown some of the best control of his big league career, but that penchant for serving up long balls has obviously outweighed any of the gains he might’ve expected from walking fewer batters.

From 2016-18, Barnes looked like he might emerge as a regular member of the Brewers’ bullpen. He tallied 147 1/3 innings of relief in that three-year stretch, posting a 3.54 ERA with respectable strikeout and walk percentages (24.4 and 9.9, respectively). Barnes has seen his velocity dip notably in the three years since that stretch, however, and dating back to Opening Day 2019 he’s been rocked for a 6.62 ERA in 69 1/3 innings across four teams.

The Mets will now have a week to trade Barnes or try to pass him through outright waivers. He’s on a $750K salary after avoiding arbitration over the winter, so while Barnes has the ability to reject an outright assignment based on service time, he’d quite likely accept in order to avoid forfeiting the rest of that payday.

Reid-Foley, 25, has been outstanding with the Mets thus far in 2021. The former Blue Jays righty has pitched 13 2/3 innings out of the bullpen and turned in a 1.98 ERA with 20 strikeouts against four walks.

Blue Jays Acquire Steven Matz

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9:15pm: The teams have announced the deal.

8:35pm: The Blue Jays and Mets are closing in on a swap that would send lefty Steven Matz to Toronto, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Robert Murray of Fansided tweeted that a trade between the clubs was coming; Michael Mayer of Metsmerized had tweeted that a Matz move was in the works.

Three right-handed pitchers will head back to New York in the arrangement: Josh Winckowski, Sean Reid-Foley, and Yennsy Diaz. (Via Murray, on Twitter, and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca, also via Twitter.)

Matz, 29, is due $5.2MM after agreeing to avoid arbitration. He will qualify for free agency after the 2021 campaign. The Mets obviously determined they could better allocate that salary for other needs. Whether it’ll be part of a big payout to lure Trevor Bauer remains to be seen; there’s still no reason to believe anything is imminent on that front.

While he has at times featured as a high-quality big-league starter, Matz has had his share of difficulties of late. The Long Island native wraps up a six-year run with the Mets having thrown 579 2/3 innings of 4.35 ERA ball.

While Matz made thirty starts apiece in 2018 and 2019, arm issues were a recurring problem. He spent time on the injured list in 2020 and ended the campaign with a brutal 9.68 ERA in just 30 2/3 frames of action.

That unfortunate short-season effort came with a few bright spots. Though Matz surrendered a ton of hard contact, he also managed a career-best 25.4% strikeout percentage while delivering his sinker at an average of 94.5 mph.

Clearly, the Jays believe Matz still possesses the necessary physical tools to deliver a good number of useful innings. He’ll likely have a chance to battle for a rotation spot in camp, though the team could also plan to use him in a swingman or even pure relief capacity.

The Mets will get some reward for deciding to tender Matz a contract. None of the three arms acquired come with high-grade prospect billing, but each will have a chance to contribute in the near term.

Both Reid-Foley and Diaz have debuted in the majors, meaning they also occupy 40-man roster spots (albeit with options remaining). The former threw 71 2/3 innings of 4.40 ERA ball over three seasons with the Jays, carrying a suboptimal 76:48 cumulative K/BB ratio. Diaz has just one appearance to his name, but turned in a solid showing at the Double-A level in 2019.

As for Winckowski, he’s still due for further seasoning. The 22-year-old reached the High-A level in 2019. Over 127 1/3 total frames that year, he turned in a sturdy 2.69 ERA. Winckowski will (again) be eligible for the Rule 5 draft after the 2021 campaign.

Blue Jays Option Anthony Kay, Sean Reid-Foley

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The Blue Jays have optioned hurlers Anthony Kay and Sean Reid-Foley, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports on Twitter. That provides some clarity to the team’s pitching plans.

Both of these pitchers featured among the conceivable possibilities for a rotation slot. But the upgraded Toronto staff doesn’t have many openings and there are quite a few candidates. Trent Thornton and Shun Yamaguchi appear to be the front-runners.

It’s still possible that either or both will end up seeing action in the majors. They’ve each done so already, though obviously neither was able to sew up a long-term spot.

Kay, 25 tomorrow, came over in the Marcus Stroman trade. The southpaw had a few ups and downs but mostly logged good results last year in the upper minors. In 133 2/3 total frames, he worked to a 2.96 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9.

Reid-Foley is a bit younger. He has consistently produced strong strikeout numbers but hasn’t yet managed to tamp down on the free passes. In 120 2/3 innings last year at the Triple-A and MLB levels, he produced 133 strikeouts and 86 walks.

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