Kimbrel, 38 next week, is one of the best closers of this generation, but has been more of a fringe reliever in recent years. He had to settle for a minor league deal with the Mets through 2026, though his contract would pay him $2.5MM if picked up. He was added to the roster a few weeks into the season. He has since pitched 15 innings for the Mets, but has allowed 10 earned runs for a flat earned run average of 6.00.
This probably overstates how bad he has pitched this year. His 23.4% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate are both around league average. His .325 batting average and 56.2% strand rate on balls in play are both on the unfortunate side, as is his 15.8% home run to fly ball ratio. Measurements like his 4.90 FIP and 3.76 SIERA show he deserves better in that relatively small sample.
Whatever it was, the results were enough for the Mets to advance. The club seems to be leaning towards a youth movement of sorts lately. In the last month or so, they have let go of such experienced tommy pham, andy ibanez And austin slater while calling AJ Ewing, Nick Morabito, zach thornton And now Tong.
The Kimbrel DFA will be in limbo. The Mets could explore trade interest, but it may be difficult to make a deal for a pitcher in his late 30s with an ERA of 6.00 who is making a few million, no matter the track record. Perhaps it’s more likely he’s been placed on waivers and clearance, leaving the Mets in trouble for the balance.
If this happens, interest from clubs will increase further. They would then be able to sign Kimbrel and only have to pay him a prorated portion of the league minimum salary for any time he spent on the roster. Although his ERA is high, as mentioned, some of the underlying numbers are a bit more encouraging. Between that and his career track record, perhaps some club will take a shot when the cost is so low.
As for Tong, it is unclear what role he will play at the club. He is starting in Triple-A this year but has an ERA of 5.68. big league rotation just lost Clay Homes In the list of injured. He will have to be out of action for a few months due to a fibula fracture. tobias myers Starting from today. He has starting experience but hasn’t had an outing longer than two innings in the last three weeks, so he certainly won’t go deep into the game. shaun manea Long is capable of providing relief work but Tong could give the Mets another option in that department.
This could just be the start for Myers, or perhaps he could gain long-term experience in the rotation. Currently four positions are occupied freddy peralta, nolan mclean, Christian Scott And david peterson. Thornton came in and made his debut this week but gave up four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. Peterson’s ERA is north of 5.00 and nothing is guaranteed going forward.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagen Images
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