The Angels announced that they have claimed RHP Jacob Rhame off of waivers from the Mets. To replace Rhame on the 60- man player pool, the Mets promoted RHP Ryley Gilliam. Rhame was out of options. The Mets’ 40-man roster now stands at 39 and their player pool is now at 50.
“Weezer”, 27, has pitched for the Mets for the last three seasons, posting a cumulative 6.23 ERA, a 6.06 FIP, and a 1.615 WHIP. In spring training, he allowed one run in 2/3 innings of work.
Rhame’s pitch qualities always had some promising features, but it was the penchant for allowing home runs that proved to be his undoing in Queens. The rankings on his fastball velocity, fastball spin, and curveball spin all exceeded the 90th percentile in the 2019 campaign. He was also memorably involved in an incident with the Phillies’ Rhys Hoskins last season, receiving a two-game suspension for throwing above Hoskins’ head.
In 2019, Rhame pitched only 6.1 innings in the majors, spending most of his time with the Syracuse Mets, pitching to a 5.49 ERA and a 1.271 WHIP. He underwent surgery in August 2019 to fix his ulnar nerve (the same surgery that ended Jacob deGrom‘s 2016 season), but was considered healthy going into spring training.
Rhame arrived to Queens in 2017 by way of sending Curtis Granderson to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In Gilliam, the Mets have themselves a reliever that’s one of the more promising arms in the farm system. The Mets’ fifth-rounder in 2018, Gilliam’s fastball, paired with his high-spin curve, has allowed him to quickly rise up the minor-league ranks. His control issues need to be ironed out, but at his best, he’s considered a high-leverage relief arm.
