The Cubs announced Friday that left-hander Anthony Kay has been designated for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini, whose previously reported two-year, $14MM deal is now official. The 27-year-old Kay’s stay in the organization could prove quite brief, as he was only claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays back on Dec. 23.
Kay, whom the Mets originally drafted with the No. 31 overall pick back in 2016, made his way from New York to Toronto by way of the Marcus Stroman trade and has spent parts of four seasons in the Majors with the Jays. He’s struggled in each, compiling a 5.48 ERA with a solid 23.6% strikeout rate but a bloated 11.6% walk rate in that time. Home runs have been a bit of an issue, as he’s yielded 1.27 long balls per nine frames, but he’s also been plagued by a bloated .340 average on balls in play that points to at least some degree of poor fortune. That appears especially true, given that Kay has yielded just an 87.5 mph average exit velocity and a 34.8% hard-hit rate in his career — both comfortably better than the league-average marks over the past few years.
Interestingly, it’s been fellow lefties who’ve tormented Kay to this point in his big league career. Same-handed opponents have crushed Kay to the tune of a .319/.398/638 batting line in 108 career plate appearances, while righties have hit him at a .251/.352/.390 clip. That line from right-handers is still concerning, particularly the OBP aspect, but if Kay were able to shut down lefties like so many other southpaws, he could yet develop into a serviceable bullpen option.
Kay has averaged better than 94 mph on his fastball over the past two seasons and has consistently generated above-average spin on the pitch — but opponents have still batted .301/.409/.526 against it in his career. He’s gotten far better results with his curveball (.186/.239/.326), which was perhaps part of his appeal to the Cubs in the first place.
Kay has one minor league option year remaining and was once a fairly well-regarded pitching prospect, so it’s possible another team will look to bring him into the fold via the waiver wire. The Cubs will have a week to trade him or pass him through outright waivers. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll remain with the organization and likely head to spring training as a non-roster invitee.
Every kiss begins with Kay. That propaganda advertisement was really effective.
The Kiss of Dez [For Assignment]?
Next time you feel like posting nonsense like this…don’t.
Who are you responding to? 6 people disagree with you
You think ad jingles are propaganda?
Mets should bring him back
Remember when Mets fans lost their minds over the prospects Mets traded for Diaz, Davis, Stroman? So far a total wash. Maybe Kelenic can have some success and maybe SWB too eventually.
From what I heard, Kelenic is still busy building hi brand and complaining about service time manipulation.
31st overall pick and a $1.1M signing bonus……fast forward……just another AAAA player. Scouting is such a crapshoot.
…sometimes is more development.
Agreed @LordD99, some teams develop much better than others. All the negative aside, the Astros do this well, the Cardinals, and then there are the teams that have major league staff that turns guys around, Rays the leader there.
GUARDIANS number one on player development. At one time was the Twins
No one can really judge a guys heart, willingness to take instruction, and ability to adjust as the league adjusts to him unless they really do some research on a guy and most importantly, don’t get snowed by whoever is relaying the information.
Some scouting and player development in organizations are better than others.
He made the majors..that means it was a successful draft pick
Absolutely not. You never use a #1 pick hoping to have a 0.0 career WAR.
First round puck at 31 and number 1 pick are completely different things.
WAR what is it good for?
Now this is nonsense I can get behind! LOL
Nothing
I went undrafted and have the same WAR.
Whitaker should be a HOFer along with Bonds, Schilling, Rodriguez, and many others.
Whitaker is a solid second behind Grich at 2B.
Hornsby exists.
Mets please! He can’t be any worse than Drew Smith
What are you smoking?
Watch the games, you will know what I’m talking about. Just looking at his stats doesn’t tell you the full story about him
Exactly. Get heart palpitations every time he pitches.
@NYMETSHEA I don’t think I’ve ever seen him throw an inning where he just went out there and got the job done. I can recall atleast 7 times last year where there was a guy in 3rd and 2nd, 2 outs, and he threw a pitch right down the middle that got mashed to the outfield, only for the fielder to make a once a year spectacular diving catch to save the runners from scoring. Drew Smith’s ERA should really be somewhere in the high 6s, not even including all the inherited runners he brings in. I think atleast more than 80% of his inherited runners scored last year. Atleast thats what it feels like
Drew has moments of being great.
@Manbitesdog yeah hes great at blowing games
Drew smith is far from great. But kay cant stay in the majors without getting severly rocked. There is no comparing the two.
Smith went a month without giving up a run. Kay cant go an inning.
Are you kidding me? Are you maybe still in the alternate universe where the Wilpons are still owners of the 4th place Mets? You must be, if you want that joker on our team.
Looks like they will replace “Harbor Lights” with “Moon River” in the Cubs’ clubhouse this year.
Has left arm. Will travel.
Maybe so, but doesn’t seem to get lefties out. With the competition still available, he might be in for a rough ride.
So it looks like the Cubs will definitely sign another Lefty, Now which one……….Hmmmm. And more importantly, Who’s the new number 40?
Thought for sure Rucker or Mckinstry or Mastrobuoni would be the DFA. Probably one of em still will be cuz now we definitely gotta sign a lefty..my guess is Will Smith but my preference is Chafin or Moore.
Give Chafin whatever he wants.
I can’t believe Chafin hasn’t been signed. He must have some very specific demands beyond proximity to his home in Ohio.
Tigers special. Claim him, slip him through waivers (or not) and give him an invite to spring training to see if pitching coach Chris Fetter can work his magic and fix him.
When a still in his prime, former Cy Young award winner is still unsigned at this point, it’s a tough market for pitchers out there, no?! Thoughts and prayers.
Agreed. I’m surprised Greinke hasn’t been signed yet.
Hey! Jose Abreu is a former MVP, too.
Kay tips his pitches. Watch some of his clips.
Oh, Kay.
Invite Kay back for Spring Training, seems like he’d be a good batting practice pitcher.
Come on, Matt Arnold- this guy is better than Bryce Wilson!
Kay was just a player in the Jays rebuild. He was given an opportunity, but was never the feeling he was going to be apart of the team after the competitive window began to open. He could fill a similar role with a team that’s grinding.
Nobody is claiming him so he’ll end back in Iowa. Besides he was a happy camper at CubsCon!
Grab him, Chaim. Boston likes UConn pitchers.
The only way Kay sticks in the big leagues is a team recognizes what he is: a max effort, one inning only reliever. Forget multiple innings, forget changeups, forget pacing himself, forget the sinker. Otherwise he is a AAAA player.
Why does Jed keep signing these reclamation pitching projects? I can see a couple of them but so many?