Mets acquire RHP Phil Maton in trade with Rays, DFA Joey Lucchesi
After weeks of struggling to close out games, the Mets have finally picked up some much-needed bullpen help prior to their series-opening matchup with the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night at Citi Field.
New York is acquiring right-hander Phil Maton from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash considerations.
The Mets will be taking on the remainder of Maton's contract, which also includes a club option for next season, and they expect him to be ready and available out of the bullpen for Wednesday or Thursday's contest against the Nationals.
"We've had a variety of conversations over the past couple of weeks on the bullpen, we had been talking with Tampa over the past few weeks as well, and we were able to get something done today," Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said.
"Maton is someone that we targeted and talked to over the offseason, he's been a very consistent reliever pitching in a high-leverage environment and in big games in Houston, so we're happy to add him."
The veteran got off to a bit of a rough start after signing a one-year deal with the Rays this offseason, pitching to a 4.58 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across his first 40 appearances with the Rays.
Maton has made a handful of tweaks over the past few weeks and he's been able to turn things around, allowing just one run while striking out 11 and walking just one over his last 11 appearances.
"We think the adjustments he's made over the last month or so -- throwing a few more strikes and some usage adjustments -- have led to some better results and we're happy to bring him in to our pen," Stearns added.
Maton throws a nasty sweeper and good curveball, and if he can regain his dominant form from his days with the Houston Astros, he could quickly slide in and help manager Carlos Mendoza bridge the gap to closer Edwin Diaz in the later innings.
In a bit of a surprising corresponding roster move, lefty Joey Lucchesi has been designated for assignment.
Lucchesi has appeared in just one game at the big league level this season, but he's provided the Mets with quality starting pitching depth since being acquired from the San Diego Padres prior to the 2021 campaign.
"Anytime you're adding a player to the 40-Man roster you have to make a difficult decision," Stearns said. "Joey has pitched well at times for this organization and certainly our hope is that we'll be able to retain him, but we'll see what happens."
