3:24PM: Smith has a strained lat muscle, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports (Twitter link).
2:31PM: Mets right-hander Drew Smith is heading to the 15-day injured list due to “an unspecified arm issue,” according to The Athletic’s Tim Britton and Ken Rosenthal. The move is expected to be announced prior to Friday’s game, and will likely be retroactive to July 25 (Smith last pitched on the 24th).
Since making his MLB debut in 2018, Smith has been a generally solid reliever out of New York’s bullpen, and this season the righty has a 3.51 ERA and a strong 28.1% strikeout rate over 41 innings. Smith has been allowing a lot of hard contact, however, and his numbers have taken a downturn over the last month. Smith has a tiny 1.99 ERA through his first 29 games and 31 2/3 appearances, but he has allowed at least one run in six of his last eight appearances, resulting in an 8.68 ERA in that stretch. Home runs have continued to be a problem for Smith, as he has allowed eight long balls over his 41 IP.
It isn’t yet known if this is a relatively minor injury, or something that could threaten the remainder of Smith’s 2022 season. But even if Smith were to just miss the 15-day minimum, that won’t stop the Mets from aggressively seeking bullpen help, as Britton and Rosenthal write that “the Mets are trying to add multiple relievers.”
Bolstered by Edwin Diaz’s spectacular year, New York’s bullpen has good overall numbers, with Smith, Adam Ottavino, and Seth Lugo all covering high-leverage innings to get to Diaz in the ninth. The Mets are short on left-handed relievers in particular, so southpaws (or at least a righty who is effective against left-handed batters, a la trade target David Robertson) would seem to be at the top of the Amazins’ wish list. Some help could also come from within, as Trevor May is expected back from the IL next week.
Mets need RP
Mets just gave away their second best relievier; Silly Eppler trade.
Colin Holderman…
Great move Eppler; idiot.
Yeah, Eppler got an elite .900 OPS bat (against RHP), 98th percentile Chase Rate and BB%, for the soon to be 27 Colin Holderman, a good arm but major questions about his shoulder, which hes already been on the DL for for a couple months
Vogelbach is also under team control for the next two years
I mean, realistically they probably could use Holderman more than Vogelbach right now
@lucas0622 It’s way easier, thousands of times easier, to get a replacement reliever for Holderman than find a bat like Volgebachs with elite BB% and chase rate. Many of the other metrics like avg exit velo and hard hit % are in the 75 to 80 percentile also
@Camden453 you left out elite .213 lifetime BA and so out of shape you can’t put him out on the field with a glove and a player who is so elite he was had for cash by Seattle and got off waivers by the Brewers for a couple of hamburgers.
Fact check Holderman does not have major issues with his shoulder and was not on the IL for a couple of months!
If it is a million times easier to get good relief pitching then why are they making so much money and in so much demand? You have a player that is so overweight if he gets on base he can’t score with the next batter getting a triple!
Holderman had 6 years of control and every sports reviewer agrees with me that the price for Vogelbach was way too high.
Let’s see how much young talent Silly Eppler has to give up to get that “It’s way easier, thousands of times easier,” reliever. Lets just watch and see!
It’s not the stupid move you think. Vogelbach has done what was expected of him so far and is only slightly less controllable than Holderman. I fully expect them to bring in more bullpen help, but in the meantime they could bring back Adonis “Funky Cold” Medina as he’s been pretty good when he’s been up. Aside from the big save in extra innings in LA after Diaz pitched the ninth, few people remember that he was the one who kept the Phillies from adding to their lead for two innings so the Mets could have their tremendous 7-run top of the ninth allowing Diaz to come in for the save.
@phenomenalajs “only slightly less controllable”? end of this year and next is not 2 years and Holderman was for 6. Last time I checked 6 is 4 times greater than 1..5. I guess 4 times is slightly now? Probably why no one is upset by gas prices and inflation?
Great Pinch Hit strike out against the yanks Vogelbach; Mets fans expect a lot more of that.
Holderman did what most of their other relievers can’t do, aside from Smith and Diaz, which is throw strikes when they enter a game.
Holderman is a 27 year old with literally 33 innings above AA ball in his career and you’re acting like he’s Mariano Rivera. Maybe stop being a bitter hater for a few minutes and enjoy the Mets being in first place for a change.
Was he their second best reliever? Gotta figure with a few more innings he regressed to a norm, the sample size was very small. Way too small to declare him their second best.
just drag Jerry Blevins out of the tv studio for a couple of appearances.
He blows every close game the Mets are in. I’d rather see anyone else pitch. He should change his first name to Homer because it seems like every time he comes in he gives up a homerun
He was lights out earlier this year and previously showed potential. Wonder if the league just figured this iteration of him out (pitchers v.s. hitters is always cat and mouse game) or if he’s been hurt this whole time.
@NMK2 Drew Smith was just lucky to begin the season. He gives up a lot of hard contact. Luckily for him, most of his appearances would result in him giving up a hit, striking out someone, then walking someone, then getting an inning ending double play on a bullet to the shortstop. Hes terrible. Even his ERA was misleading. Everytime he came in with runners on, they would all score off him but his ERA was uneffected. Iv been saying hes terrible before the season even started
@LFGMETS Through April, he pitched 9 innings and allowed 8 earned baserunners (walks and hits). That alone disproves your point.
Look at his 2022 game log and you see a lot of scoreless (including unearned runs) outings. He gave up his first run May 13 in his 13th appearance, during the 2-1 loss against Seattle.
He’s allowed an earned run in 11 of his 37 outings, and only four games with more than a single run scoring. Unfortunately, two of those four happened in July, along with three July contests he allowed one earned run. That’s likely why his failures are fresh in everyone’s head.
You are the worst kind of Met fan. All you do is complain. Smith has been solid.
@DaOldDerbyBastard Do you even watch Met games or do you just look at his ERA and think “wow this guy is solid”. If you watched the games, you would know he pitches well when the Mets are down by 6+ runs and he pitches awful when the games are within 3 runs. Not a good pitcher at all
Okay, Doomer!
Haha. I never heard this expression. Love it.
At some point you’re gonna provide some stats to back up what your saying, right? Like how many games they’ve lost with him as a pitcher… how many leads he’s blown in games they went on to lose… something, cuz “I watch the games on tv” doesn’t cut it. You keep putting down people that cite his stats like ERA but at some point you gotta provide something to counter those stats besides hollering at people that they don’t watch games.
I think this will be a corresponding move announced when the mets make a trade in the coming day or so. Thinking maybe Fulmer or Chafin to Mets.
No the Mets will wait 5 minutes before trade deadline and get slim Pickens all the good players will be picked up by then
What was better? Slim Pickens in Dr Strangelove or Slim Pickens in 1941?
Dr Strangelove definitely
Blazing Saddles.
What in the Wide World of Sports is going on around here?
Beyond The Poseidon Adventure definitely.
A guy could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff
The Mets should focus on Tiger relievers. The Al Avila clown show would ensure that the Mets wouldn’t have to give up anything of value.
Fulmer for the rights to Yoenis Cespedes.
Avila probably would trade Fulmer for the right to pay Bobby Bonilla.
I smell a trade about to happen.
I feel there will be a big package deal. Either with the Cubs or Tigers. Cubs trade would probably look something like Dom and/or J.D Davis with someone like Eric Orze or Mike Vasil. Tigers would shoot more strictly for prospects because they are not going to be good until at least 2024 in my opinion with all of the injuries. Detroit would prolly shoot for 2 #20-30 prospects in the mets organization. Would have to be position players considering how stacked they are on young pitchers once they all get healthy.
I don’t really think Dom Smith appeals to anyone right now.
Right. Dom Smith is a throw-in lottery ticket. A deal sweetener. He’s not the main part of any deal. He might also get tossed in if the Mets trade for multiple players and just need to clear a roster spot.
It’s unfortunate considering how well he was progressing through the end of 2020, but we now have over a season and a half of Dom looking completely lost at the plate. He’s essentially worthless now.
Not blaming Met management because Smith was hurt last year, but I wonder whom the Mets previously were offered for Smith and turned down the deal?
It doesn’t matter, Von. The wind blows and Met fans think another team is trading for Dom in a package. The sun rises in the east and somewhere a Met fan is thinking, “this means the Mets are getting a player they need for Dom and JD.” A Met SP misses one start and fans think the team is trading for every all star on the block immediately. Again and again no matter how many times it’s predicted and doesn’t happen. Trying to put sense to these fans is a futile gesture, believe me.
I feel there will be a big package deal. Either with the Cubs or Tigers. Cubs trade would probably look something like Dom and/or J.D Davis with someone like Eric Orze or Mike Vasil. Tigers would shoot more strictly for prospects because they are not going to be good until at least 2024 in my opinion with all of the injuries. Detroit would prolly shoot for 2 #20-30 prospects hitting prospects in the Mets organization.
Smelly trade just happened unfortunately as Silly Eppler just traded away Colin Holderman the second best Met pitcher in the pen for nothing. For a guy the Mariners picked up for cash and Brewers picked up on waivers for a few hamburgers.
What are you thinking now Epper you idiot!
lmao Holderman is the second best pitcher in the Mets pen? Is that why Pittsburgh–PITTSBURGH–started him off in the minors?? Because he’s so great?
Do you have a clue? Or do you just post trolling nonsense? He’s pitched 17 innings. That’s it. Chill out.
Mets need Robertson so bad
Rather have Chafin we can use a good lefty
both
I’ve hopped off the Robertson train after looking at his numbers. He’s 37, had TJ surgery in late 2019 and his 2022 numbers are an aberration compared to recent years. I’d rather roll the dice with someone like Fulmer and another arm.
We need both… Robertson and Chafin
Yep
Any one of lefties Moore, Mantiply, or Chafin would help. On the righty side you have Bass, Lopez, Robertson, Bard, Wisler, Fulmer, Colome, Bednar, & Givens. One from column A & one from column B would improve their pen quite a bit. Rodriguez has to go.
Mets are likely on the phone with Chicago right now.
Yeah I have a feeling they’re going to do the Contreras/Robertson thing. Who knows what they’re going to give for them. I hope they don’t give too much. I feel as though Eppler jumped the gun on Vogelbach, simply because the guy can’t run well. I really hope I’m wrong, but watching the game the other night I was wondering how the hell they were going to plate him from second base. He’s not exactly a sure thing from second on a single, and that’s really my concern about it. Honestly, I don’t take this stuff too seriously though, but I do want them to be smart about who they pick up since they’re making a serious drive to play in the postseason.
Mets should just go cheap, solid mid tier relievers and save the farm which they’ve finally got up to a mid-tier system. Try to keep it in that 15th, 16th ranked system and keep adding to it
Megill should be back in mid August. He can step in and be a main guy in a setup role
While I don’t love Megill in a setup role, I do agree they should protect the farm. Obviously everyone is excited for this season, but they need to build a dynasty, not mortgage the future.
For what its worth, Bleacher Report’s post-draft farm rankings places the Mets @ #6 behind Rangers, Tigers, Dodgers, Cards, & Orioles. The problem is the system is top heavy, so unless we are giving up a top prospect, we don’t have as much appealing depth in the 10-30 range to leverage
I don’t really think Dom Smith appeals to anyone right now.
Don’t worry when Silly Eppler made the Colin Holderman trade he said relief pitching can be had for nothing; let’s see what the moron does next?
OH wait! eppler traded for Lowly Rodriquez at the start of the year
He is great right?
Holderman is so great that the Pirates didn’t even start him in the majors. They sent him to AAA, where he promptly gave up a run in his only inning so far. You are clueless.
BIG LOSS FOR THE METS HERE
I pull up this website and say: “what’s the happs?”
Sam Roberts, is that you?
Al Avila traded Smith away for Mikie Mahtook. Yet another Avila failure. smh
The run up was scheduled to end about now anyway.
Sover.
Strained lat muscle so nothing structural he should be back in a matter of weeks