Former New York Mets First-Round Pick Heads Overseas to Play in NPB

Kay, a New York native, was drafted by the Mets with the 31st pick in the 2016 draft out of the University of Connecticut. He was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019 as part of the deal that sent Marcus Stroman to New York.

He debuted with Toronto in 2019 and spent parts of four seasons with the Jays (2019-2022), appearing in 28 games, mostly as a reliever.

He then spent 2023 with the Cubs and Mets, logging 16 total games.

Lifetime, Kay is 4-2 with a 5.59 ERA. 

He's just still just 28 years old so if he's able to find success in Japan, there's certainly a chance that he could end up back in affiliated ball in the future.. Just recently, we saw Erik Fedde sign a two-year with the Chicago White Sox after a successful stint in the KBO.

A few years ago, Chris Flexen went from Korea to winning 14 games for the Seattle Mariners. There's no guarantee that it will happen for Kay, but it's definitely possible.

But until then, this is a smart move. There's more opportunity for Kay to get innings in Japan, and the financial situation will be better than him playing in the minor leagues.