The Mets have claimed reliever Tayler Saucedo off waivers from the Blue Jays, according to announcements from both teams. Toronto also announced that righty Casey Lawrence went unclaimed on waivers and was outrighted off the 40-man roster.
Saucedo has pitched in the big leagues in each of the last two seasons. He made 29 appearances in 2021 but only got into four big league games this year. In 28 1/3 combined innings, the southpaw has posted a 5.40 ERA. He’s only punched out 15.3% of opposing hitters, but he’s racked up ground balls at an incredible 58.7% clip. Saucedo has also held left-handed batters to a meager .182/.280/.295 line in 50 plate appearances, giving him an opportunity to carve out a role as a left-on-left specialist.
He had a much different profile with Triple-A Buffalo this year, only inducing grounders at a 40.5% clip but punching out 34.1% of batters faced. The Tennessee Wesleyan product has a 3.77 ERA in 93 career innings at the Triple-A level. He still has a pair of minor league option years remaining, meaning he can move back and forth between Queens and Triple-A Syracuse over the next couple seasons if he holds his 40-man roster spot. The Mets relied primarily on Joely Rodríguez as their left-handed bullpen arm this year, but he’s now a free agent. Adding further lefty depth figures to be a priority for general manager Billy Eppler and his staff.
Lawrence returned to the majors this season for the first time since 2018. The swingman soaked up 18 innings across six relief appearances, putting up a 7.50 ERA with a 13.9% strikeout rate. The 35-year-old had a strong 2.79 mark across 126 innings with Buffalo. He’s previously been outrighted, so he’s likely to decline the outright assignment in favor of minor league free agency.
When Sauscey is healthy and on, he can be very good. He is better than just org depth fodder. Don’t like losing him.
Losing Saucedo is not killing your roster considering he has been “ok” at times and he is a lefty pitcher gives him some value BUT in what world is having Bradly Zimmer on your roster better than losing Saucedo or any pitcher for that matter?
That scenario of being healthy and on has never happened.
He also doesn’t strike anyone out.
He’s AAA filler if your first two lefty out of the pen options go down at the same time
Whatever the jays do you just say the opposite
If the LOOGY still existed this guy would have a job in the big leagues.
Sounds like a bottled can in a Italian restaurant? Any good?
This is how eppler puts together pitching. I swear he is the worst. Spend owners money on two players and then try to make moves like this that never work out. Mets are screwed. Next they lose degrom to Braves.
Degrom isn’t going to the Braves. They aren’t going over the luxury tax.
Holy crap, calm down! The WS just ended a few days ago. You sound like you posted this while standing on a steel girder of the Verrazano Bridge right before jumping off.
Free Agency literally hasn’t even started yet. This is a depth move which every team makes throughout the year.
Yea DeGrom is going to the Jays, 4 years 170
They need the front line starter. They’ll have to pay the extra year and force Cohon to go 4 195 or something stupid to make him stay
We have enough DL place holders we don’t need another even if he is almost perfect for the 10% of his contract that he healthy.
Why do you think the Mets would have to pay more then the Bluejays for Degrom? Do you think Degrom wants to live in a different country and pay two countries income tax and take less money to do it?
Casey deserves far more credit then his numbers show. I can recall at least 2 appearances he made where he was called up for emergency and brought in with the bases loaded during a blowout against the Jays. Always send right back down the next day. I remember him coming in and sure giving up a run or two but more or less being a solid contributer doing thankless mop up work.