The New York Mets have designated left-handed reliever Josh Smoker for assignment according to James Wagner of the New York Times. This was the corresponding move to the Jose Reyes signing becoming official on Friday night.
Smoker, 29, had a 5.11 ERA, 4.92 FIP, 1.70 WHIP and allowed ten home runs in 56.1 innings last season for the Mets. Though he did strike out 68 batters in those innings.
The hard throwing was a former first round pick by the Washington Nationals that the Mets signed in 2015 after he pitched in Indy ball.
Smoker did look better down the stretch for the Mets with a 2.63 second half ERA that included a dominant September in which he struck out 16 in 11.1 innings and held opponents to a .658 OPS.
Lefties that can hit 96-97 are not the type of players that make it through waivers. This move is puzzling for the fact that it would give the Mets 11 infielders on the 40-man roster including Matt Reynolds and only one lefty reliever in Jerry Blevins.
