According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Mets claimed LHP Marc Rzepczynski off waivers from the Padres and are working on a deal to acquire him.
Rzepczynski, 30, has a 4.88 ERA in 60 appearances with the Padres and Indians this season, however he has held left-handed hitters to a .257 batting average and a .650 OPS in 84 plate appearances.
He’s another one of those lefty relievers you never want facing a right-handed batter who are hitting .324 against him with an .851 OPS. But you know Terry.
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Despite several reports that the Mets will not trade for a reliever to help the team’s beleaguered bullpen, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York is hearing quite the opposite and reports that the front office is making progress today on acquiring a reliever.
He cautions that there is no guarantee that something comes together, but that talks are tangible.
On Friday we learned from MLB’s Peter Gammons that Milwaukee Brewers closer Francisco Rodriguez and Baltimore Orioles right-hander Darren O’Day were both placed on revocable waivers and cleared on Friday.
Each of them are former Mets, but of the two I would imagine that 32-year-old O’Day would draw the most interest from GM Sandy Alderson.
The side-armed O’Day is owed less than $1 million for the rest of this season and is having a great year, boasting a 1.63 ERA and 11.4 K/9 – both of which are career highs.
Getting O’Day would be huge.
Meanwhile, because the bullpen is so spent, manager Terry Collins announced that Bartolo Colon would be available for an inning of relief on Saturday, perhaps a test run for a potential postseason bullpen role.
