The New York Mets said goodbye to one left-handed reliever this weekend when they released Chasen Shreve, who had been originally designated for assignment last week.
It wasn’t long before they added another, however, as the team claimed southpaw Sam Clay off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday. Right-hander Jake Reed was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
Clay, 29, pitched in 58 games for the Washington Nationals during his rookie season in 2021, and appeared in six more this year before being designated for assignment on July 1. The Phillies picked him up four days later, but his time in the City of Brotherly Love was short lived, as they themselves designated him for assignment on Friday.
The Tennessee born lefty might just be a placeholder on the Mets’ 40-man roster until trade activity ramps up later this month, where the Mets are likely to add to their bullpen via trade.
Clay hasn’t fared all too well in his time in the bigs so far, with a career 6.02 ERA in 64 career games.
Even during his time in the minors which spans eight years, he has given up a lot of hits, as represented by his 1.516 career WHIP down on the farm.
With Washington in 2021, Clay did handle left-handed hitters better, as they hit .244 against him, but he still yielded 22 walks total, so most of his outings saw him pitching under duress.
The one positive in Clay’s game is that he does keep the ball in the park, having allowed only 13 long balls over eight seasons between the majors and minors total.
Clay is likely just a warm body until the roster fills out in a few weeks, but perhaps they felt they needed some lefty insurance for the time being with Shreve gone.
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