Mets Claim Anthony Kay From Cubs

The Mets have claimed left-hander Anthony Kay off waivers from the Cubs, reports Jesse Rogers of ESPN. The latter club had designated the lefty for assignment earlier this week. The Mets already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster and won’t need to make a corresponding move. The Mets have sent Kay to Triple-A for now, per Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News.

Kay, now 28, returns to his original organization. The Mets selected him with the 31st overall pick in 2016 but traded him to the Blue Jays alongside Simeon Woods Richardson in the 2019 Marcus Stroman deal. The lefty got brief looks at the big league level while with the Jays but wasn’t able to establish himself and was placed on waivers, getting claimed by the Cubs in the winter.

Between the Jays and the Cubs, Kay has thrown 82 innings scattered over the past five major league seasons. He has an earned run average of 5.60 in that time, along with a 22.3% strikeout rate, 12.1% walk rate and 42.2% ground ball rate. He’s generally fared better in the minors, which continues to be the case this year. He has a 4.10 ERA in 37 1/3 Triple-A innings, striking out 31.1% of hitters and keeping the ball on the ground at a 52.4% rate. Those numbers are both strong, though his 13.7% walk rate is still concerning.

Kay will be out of options next year, but the Mets can keep him as a depth arm for now. If he manages to hang onto his roster spot through the winter, he can still be retained for five more seasons after this one.