Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays swapped right-handed pitchers on Saturday.

New York sent Jacob Barnes, who was designated for assignment on June 14, north of the border in exchange for minor leaguer Troy Miller, the team announced in a press release.

Barnes, 31, was claimed off waivers by the Mets from the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason, and cracked the team’s opening day roster.

In 19 appearances, Barnes locked down two saves, but was overall ineffective, as he had a -0.4 fWAR, 6.27 ERA, 6.22 FIP and 4.29 xFIP in 18.2 innings tossed.

The six year MLB veteran is eligible for free agency in 2023.

Miller, 24, was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Blue Jays in 2018.

The California native has split the 2021 season between Toronto’s High-A and Double-A affiliates, and has logged a cumulative 4.93 ERA in seven games (six starts).

The post Mets Trade Jacob Barnes to Blue Jays For Minor League Pitcher appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

While the New York Mets’ starting rotation has received plenty of attention through the first month of the 2021 campaign, the club’s bullpen has also performed extremely well out of the gate and is one of the major reasons they currently sit at the top of the NL East division.

Though there’s still plenty of games left in the schedule, the Mets’ bullpen has produced the best FIP (2.81), the second-highest fWAR (2.1), the third-best xFIP (3.59) and the fifth-best ERA (3.04) among all 30 teams in the majors, according to FanGraphs.com.

Considering the bullpen features arms like Edwin Diaz, Trevor May, Jeurys Familia, Miguel Castro and Aaron Loup, it’s not entirely surprising to see this group excel at an extremely high level early in the season. Having said that, there’s also a chance this group could become even more successful as the year progresses, especially since reliever Seth Lugo could return from the injured list very shortly.

Along with Lugo’s impending return, receiving an improved performance from someone like Jacob Barnes, who’s posted a 5.23 ERA, 138 ERA-, 5.52 FIP, 139 FIP- and a -0.1 fWAR rating through 10 1/3 innings, could also help the Mets’ pitching staff take another step forward in 2021.

Acquired off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels last October, Barnes was coming off an underappreciated performance where he recorded career-bests in FIP (2.25), xFIP (3.24), strikeout rate (30.8%) and walk rate (5.1%), although most experts couldn’t look past his 5.50 ERA and 125 ERA-. But since New York’s front office didn’t just evaluate the 31-year-old based on his traditional metrics, he was given an opportunity to compete this spring and ultimately earned a roster spot prior to Opening Day.

Experiencing a similar situation this season, the right-hander’s traditional stats have been poor through his first nine appearances of the season, but his expected and advanced metrics suggest he’s performed respectably so far this season. In total, the veteran hurler has created a 3.62 xERA, 3.95 xFIP, .304 xwOBA, .219 xAVG, .241 BABIP, 22.7% strikeout rate, 4.5% walk rate and a career-high 56.3% GB rate.

Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Taking this even further, the Mets were extremely intrigued by Barnes’ three-pitch mix this offseason, particularly his high-80s cutter, which he’s thrown nearly 50 percent of the time and has been very effective with this season. Serving as his most reliable offering, the former 14th-round pick already featured impressive vertical and horizontal movement on his cutting fastball before arriving to Queens and has improved in each of those areas while working with the team’s coaching staff.

After averaging 26.9 inches of drop last season, the former Angels’ cutter is now producing an average of 25.3 inches, which is 0.9 inches more drop than similar cutters at his velocity. As for its horizontal movement, it averaged 4.6 inches of break in 2020 and has increased that up to 5.1 inches in 2021, tied for the 11th-highest average among all pitchers who’ve thrown at least 50 cutters, according to BaseballSavant.com.

Additionally, his cutting fastball also features 2.8 inches more break than similar pitches at his velocity, which is tied for the eighth-most added drop among qualified pitchers.

Thanks to this increased movement, Barnes has been able to locate his primary weapon much more effectively and that’s something he struggled to accomplish at times last season. As a result, his cutter was finishing in the middle of the strike zone far too often, allowing opposing hitters to create a troubling .311 AVG and a .283 xAVG against it.

Source: BaseballSavant.com

But with his improved command, Barnes has been locating his cutter down and away to right-handers, low and inside to left-handers, largely keeping it out of the heart of the zone and resulting in a .235 AVG and a .242 xAVG.

Source: BaseballSavant.com

Even though the 6′ 2″ hurler has allowed a .647 SLG and a 16.7% barrel rate against his cutter this season, its .503 xSLG and 88.4 mph average exit velocity likely suggests he’s been a little unlucky up to this point. Since it’s also recorded a career-best 66.7% GB rate and a -3-degree average launch angle, these high amounts of ground balls are destined to translate into outs eventually, it’ll probably just require a larger sample size for his results to even out.

Paired with its ability to induce plenty of ground balls, Barnes’ cutting fastball has also served as his most reliable swing and miss offering in the past and that’s remained true in 2021, as it’s produced a 31.0% whiff rate, 27.8% strikeout rate and a 26.3% chase rate. But if he were to reduce the number of cutters that were located in the zone during two-strike counts, which currently sits at 46.7%, all three of those metrics would likely increase dramatically moving forward.

Considering the Florida native posted a career-high 34.8% strikeout rate, 40.6% whiff rate and a 45.4% chase rate with his cutter last season, it’s certainly capable of serving as an elite strikeout weapon, although the key to unlocking that ability consistently is commanding it near the edge of the zone when he’s ahead in the count.

For the most part, Barnes was utilized in low-leverage situations during the first month of the season, however, he’s primarily appeared in the seventh and eighth innings since the calendar changed to May. As a result, Florida Gulf Coast product has been provided some high-leverage opportunities this month, ultimately earning him his first win and hold of the campaign.

Once Lugo returns, Barnes will likely resume his low-leverage role during the fifth and sixth innings, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be a candidate to assume a larger job if needed. At the very least, it’d provide manager Luis Rojas and his staff some much-needed comfort knowing they have a reliable reliever waiting in the wings if a drastic problem arises.

The post Breaking Down Jacob Barnes’ Stellar Cutter appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets recalled southpaw Joey Lucchesi Monday afternoon to take the mound as they sought to fill their fifth-starter spot in the rotation. However, Lucchesi’s time on the mound did not last as long as the Mets had hoped and his start paved the way for a 6-5 St. Louis Cardinals victory Monday night.

Lucchesi, who last pitched three innings against the Chicago Cubs on April 22, could not make it out of the third inning against the Cardinals. The 27-year-old thew 63 pitches over 2 2/3 innings and allowed six runs on seven hits, two home runs and a walk.

Trouble brewed for Lucchesi from the beginning of the game as Tommy Edman ripped a triple off him to start the game. Dylan Carlson then hit a sacrifice fly to give the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead. While Paul Goldschmidt walked, Lucchesi was able to limit the damage in the inning as he got Nolan Arenado to ground into a double play.

The Mets took a 2-1 lead in the top of the second to give Lucchesi some early run support. While he responded by retiring the first two batters to start off bottom half of the second, the Cardinals were able to tie things up on a Harrison Bader home run to left center field. He then got out of the inning as he struck out Andrew Knizner for his only strikeout of the game.

The Mets offense went back to work in the top of the third and produced him three more runs of support. Despite the 5-2 cushion, Lucchesi could not keep the Cardinals off the board. Like in the second inning, Lucchesi started off the third by retiring the first two batters. However, after that he proceeded to give up two singles, a home run, and two doubles to relinquish the lead by a run.

Robert Gsellman was called upon with two outs in the third to finish off the inning. He did so on six pitches by getting Bader to fly out in foul territory.

Gsellman stayed in to pitch the fourth and fifth innings and responded with two perfect innings. He helped keep the Mets in the game and lowered his season ERA to 2.35 in the process.

Sean Reid-Foley came into the game in the sixth and picked up where Gsellman left off. He kept the Cardinals off the board for two innings and struck out three in the process. Although he has only been limited to two outings so far this season, Reid-Foley has struck out seven batters in five scoreless innings.

Jacob Barnes contributed as well in the eighth with a scoreless inning of his own.

While the Mets’ starting pitching has been their strength throughout the early portion of the season, it was the bullpen that shined in this one.

Both Gsellman and Reid-Foley could have been the ones to open things up against the Cardinals, as Luis Rojas mentioned both their names yesterday as being in the mix. In the end he opted to make a roster move to recall Lucchesi who has now struggled in all three starts he has made this season.

The post Lucchesi Struggles In Shortened Outing, Bullpen Shines In Relief appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets have added a plethora of talent around the diamond and have bolstered their overall depth this offseason. However, the team will likely continue to add a few more pieces; perhaps another starting pitcher, center fielder, third baseman or relief pitcher.

With that in mind, it is reasonable to wonder who will be designated for assignment following the next acquisition.

Robert Gsellman, RHP, 27

Robert Gsellman‘s career got off to a great start in 2016, as he posted a 2.42 ERA, 1.276 WHIP and struck out 42 batters over 44.2 innings of work. However, the right-hander’s production has been on a downward spiral since, culminating in a 9.64 ERA over just 14 innings during the 2020 season.

The 27-year-old has dealt with his fair share of injuries, which has led down a spiral of inconsistency. Gsellman has sustained rib, oblique, lat and triceps injuries over the past few years which have hampered his production.

Gsellman has offered the Mets some versatility as a starter and a reliever over the years, and that’s where the benefit of keeping him around is. The team will probably keep him on the 40-man for this reason with the hopes he can stay healthy and offer the squad another depth piece.

Gsellman has two more minor league options remaining and can become a free agent next offseason.

Daniel Zamora, LHP, 27

Daniel Zamora is one of the three lefty relievers along with Stephen Tarpley and Aaron Loup the Mets have on the 40-man roster. However, if the Mets add another starting pitcher, fellow lefty Joey Lucchesi would likely move to the bullpen as well.

Zamora didn’t get any action during the pandemic-shortened season and he didn’t quite impress in 2019. In 8.2 innings, he had a 5.19 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and eight strikeouts. Zamora’s value to the Mets is that he is a lefty reliever, but the lefty specialist is not what it once was because of the three-batter minimum rule.

Against right-handed batters in 2019, Zamora had a 6.23 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and struck out three batters in 4.1 innings.

Zamora has one minor league option remaining.

Jacob Barnes, RHP, 30

The Mets claimed Jacob Barnes off waivers from the Angels on Oct. 30 to add to their bullpen depth. However, the Mets have added several other pieces to the bullpen, including Trevor May, Loup, Sam McWilliams and Seth Lugo returning to a relief role.

For the Angels in 2020, Barnes had a 5.50 ERA, but he struck out 24 batters and only walked four in 18-innings pitched.

Barnes is out of minor league options, and was acquired prior to Steve Cohen’s acquisition of the Mets, so he could be next on the chopping block.

Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

Patrick Mazeika, C, 27

Patrick Mazeika dominated the low-level minors during his first three seasons, including a remarkable slash line of .354/.451/.540 in 2015. However, once he was promoted to Double-A in 2018 he struggled with a paltry .231/.328/.363 slash line. He bounced back a bit in 2019, launching a career-high 16 home runs, 25 doubles and 69 RBI.

On the defensive side during the 2019 season, Mazeika split his time between catcher and first base. He had seven errors and 14 passed balls over 55 games at catcher. It is unlikely that his offensive production will ever truly merit his subpar defense behind the plate.

Mazeika is the fourth catcher on the roster, behind James McCann, Tomas Nido and Ali Sanchez.

Corey Oswalt, RHP, 27

Corey Oswalt is another piece that could serve the Mets as a long reliever, if the team so chooses. His numbers weren’t pretty, but his 2020 season was actually his best statistically. The right hander had a 4.85 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 11 strikeouts in 13 innings pitched, including one start.

His first outing of the season came against the Braves in mop-up duty and he got shelled for five runs over four innings. Oswalt was optioned after the game and did not make an appearance for about a month. He made an emergency start against the Marlins and tossed 4.1 innings, while only surrendering two runs. However, it will be difficult for Oswalt to solidify a roster spot after the addition of Jordan Yamamoto, who will likely be ahead of him on the depth chart.

Oswalt is out of minor league options.

It will be interesting to see who gets designated for assignment next, but it will likely depend on what the Mets choose to do the rest of the way.

The post Which Met Could Be Designated For Assignment Next? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

With the acquisition of right-hander Jordan Yamamoto from the Miami Marlins on Monday, as well as the preliminary interest in former Atlanta Brave Mike Foltynewicz, the Mets continue to focus on their pitching depth.

This has been a theme for New York through the offseason, as they have quietly made some shrewd acquisitions to help out both the starting rotations and bullpens at the major league level as well as the upper levels of the minors.

The Mets parted with minor league infielder Federico Polanco to get Yamamoto, and just a few days ago, flipped southpaw Steven Matz to the Toronto Blue Jays for a trio of hurlers led by right-handers Sean Reid-Foley and Yennsy Diaz.

Additionally this winter, the team has added right-handers Jacob Barnes, Sam McWilliams, and Stephen Tarpley as well as lefties Aaron Loup and Joey Lucchesi to the 40-man roster alone. That’s not even including the guys they took fliers on as non-roster invites such as former Phillie Jerad Eickhoff, former highly touted prospect Oscar De La Cruz and former Atlanta Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino.

This is certainly a 180 degree turn from where they were at a season ago, where right-handers Walker Lockett, Corey Oswalt and Ariel Jurado were the extent of depth options.

What’s even more important is that a lot of these acquisitions come with team control and minor league options.

Yamamoto is eligible to become a free agent for the first time in 2027. Reid-Foley in 2025. Lucchesi in 2025.

The previous regime often mortgaged the farm system for fringe big leaguers, and it came back to bite them. When ownership changed hands to Steve Cohen and crew, they were left without a lot of reinforcements at the upper levels of the minors.

Overall, the team’s farm system needs to be replenished as a whole, but team president Sandy Alderson has done a solid job of picking up young players with flexibility without sacrificing unknown or up-and-coming commodities.

The post Mets Are Quietly Building Strong Pitching Depth appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

While free agency is only a few days old, the New York Mets have already started making additions to their roster for next season, which included adding two veteran hurlers who’ll each be provided an opportunity to earn a spot within the team’s bullpen when training camp opens next spring.

Making a pair of waiver claims, the front office acquired pitchers Nick Tropeano and Jacob Barnes off the waiver wire and are hopeful they’ll be able to help strengthen the club’s depth regarding its reliever corps. Considering neither of them are eligible for arbitration this winter, both of these transactions should be deemed as low-risk and high-reward situations heading into the 2021 campaign.

With Barnes in particular, the 30-year old has bounced around from three different organizations (Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, and the Los Angeles Angels) over the last two seasons and hasn’t been able to perform consistently at the major league level just yet.

That being said, it seems the right-hander might be just a few adjustments away from finally reaching his full potential and it’s possible he could accomplish that feat in Queens.

Despite struggling to find a home over the last few campaigns, the former 14th-round selection has shown flashes of his ceiling over his five seasons in the major leagues. He just hasn’t been able to put everything together at the highest level of competition.

Though this has been an extremely frustrating process, the 6-foot-2 hurler actually found a way to enjoy a considerable amount of success this past season, which is extremely impressive considering the Angels have failed to develop pitchers over the last decade or so.

Over his 18 appearances in 2020, Barnes compiled 18.0 innings of work, producing a 5.50 ERA, 4.27 xERA, 2.25 FIP, 3.24 xFIP, 127 ERA-, 50 FIP-, 73 xFIP-, 1.28 WHIP, .264 OPP AVG, .383 BABIP (tied for 18th-highest among all relievers who pitched at least 10.0 innings), 30.8% strikeout rate, 30.2% chase rate, 34.2% whiff rate, 5.1% walk rate, 39.6% LD rate, 41.7% GB rate, 12.5% FB rate, 47.9% hard-hit rate (15th-highest), 6.3% barrel rate, 6.3% HR/FB rate, and a 0.4 fWAR rating, according to FanGraphs.com.

In comparison, the veteran hurler earned 33 appearances (18 with Brewers and 15 with Royals) in 2019 and completed 32 2/3 innings, recording a troubling 7.44 ERA (career-worst), 5.40 xERA, 6.06 FIP, 5.22 xFIP, 163 ERA-, 135 FIP-, 116 xFIP-, 1.78 WHIP, .261 OPP AVG, .293 BABIP, 20.0% strikeout rate, 24.0% chase rate, 23.4% whiff rate, 13.8% walk rate, 27.4% LD rate, 48.1% GB rate, 19.8% FB rate, 37.7% hard-hit rate, 7.5% barrel rate, 21.9% HR/FB rate, along with a -0.5 fWAR rating.

Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports

Based on this impressive year-to-year progression, it’s clear something clicked for Barnes during his brief tenure on the west coast and it’s possible the Mets could help him continue to build off his encouraging performance next summer.

Now paired with pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, the former pitcher – who spent two seasons in blue pinstripes – must help the aging hurler continue developing his mid-90s fastball and high-80s cutter, as they each have the potential of becoming plus-offerings.

Starting with his four-seamer, the Florida Gulf Coast University product was able to increase the average velocity on his fastball by 1.6 mph (95.2 mph) and utilized it 46.6% of the time in 2020. In addition, he also significantly improved its vertical movements, reducing its average inches of drop by 3.1 inches, which allowed it to finish tied with the 13th-fewest average inches of drop (11.8) among all pitchers who threw at least 100 fastballs, according to BaseballSavant.com.

Thanks to these adjustments, Barnes was able to generate plenty of more swings and misses with his fastball, resulting in a 25.8% strikeout rate (8.9% increase from 2019), 22.0% whiff rate (10.5% increase), 23.3% in zone whiff rate (11.3% increase), 14.3% chase whiff rate (4.3% increase), and a 12.9% walk rate (5.4% decrease).

Despite surrendering a 47.1% hard-hit rate and a 21 degree average launch angle, his heater allowed just a .174 AVG (.124 decrease from 2019), .187 xAVG (.138 decrease), .217 SLG (.344 decrease), .302 xSLG (.274 decrease), .259 wOBA (.150 decrease), and a .299 xwOBA (.130 decrease).

As for his cutter, it’s arguably Barnes’ most polished weapon and he was able to take it to another level this past season, as it proved to be extremely effective during two-strike counts and didn’t allow a single walk against it.

Taking this a step further, it averaged 4.6 inches of break (11th-most among all qualified pitchers), which forced hitters to extend the strike zone on several occasions and helped him limit the damage it surrendered.

Over his shortened 2020 campaign, the Florida native threw his cutting fastball 52.4% of the time, creating a 34.8% strikeout rate (12.1% increase from 2019), 41.5% whiff rate (10.2% increase), 23.5% in zone whiff rate (8.0% increase), 44.3% chase rate (15.8% increase), 62.8% chase whiff rate (7.2% increase), 56.3% chase rate with two strikes (14.1% increase), and a 80.0% GB rate with two strikes (36.5% increase).

Though his cutter allowed a ton of hard contact (46.7%) and surrendered a career-worst 10.0% barrel rate, there’s a chance Barnes could be able to improve both of those metrics in 2021 while also maintaining his stellar strikeout ability. Additionally, his fastball will also need to undergo the same adjustment to avoid allowing so many hard-hit balls during his inaugural campaign with the Mets.

Here’s a chart of where Barnes’ four-seamer and cutting fastball were located this past season:

Source: FanGraphs.com

Since the majority of Barnes’ pitches finished in the middle part of the zone, it’s clear he’ll need to correct this issue with both his fastball and cutter next season and must be able to locate those offerings on the outer sections of the plate more effectively as well. If successful, this adjustment would still allow him to generate plenty of strikeouts and he wouldn’t surrender nearly as much hard contact.

Along with needing to improve his command, the hard-throwing righty must also be utilized in the right scenarios, which hasn’t always happened throughout his major league career.

Despite dominating against left-handed batters in 2020, only 26 of the total 78 batters the former Angel faced were lefties and he was matched up against one or fewer in eight of his first 10 appearances.

Over his 7 1/3 innings against left-handed hitters, Barnes produced a 0.33 FIP, 1.38 xFIP, 0.68 WHIP, .167 OPP AVG, .308 BABIP, 46.2% strikeout rate, 3.8% walk rate, 15.4% LD rate, 53.8% GB rate, and a 30.8% FB rate.

But because he located so many pitches in the middle of the zone, hitters were able to induce a 4.91 ERA and a 53.8% hard-hit rate. Still, that doesn’t take away from his impressive showing against lefties during this past season.

With the Mets looking to add reinforcements to their bullpen, it seems Barnes could start in low-leverage situations and potentially advance into medium or even high-leverage spots if he performs consistently as the season moves along. Since he was primarily utilized during the eighth inning in 2020, though his team was usually trailing during his outings, his experience in that role could help him earn a similar spot when next season rolls around.

There’s no guarantee Barnes will be able to transform into a quality reliever in 2021, but if he were to make this type of progress, it would speak volumes about New York’s coaching staff.

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