Mets DFA Sean Gilmartin, immediately claimed by St. Louis

The Mets removed Sean Gilmartin from the 40-man roster, exposing him to waivers. The Cardinals claimed him mere hours later

The New York Mets’ flurry of needed roster moves over the weekend left Sean Gilmartin exposed to waivers. The team announced Sunday that Gilmartin was designated for assignment after being removed from the 40-man roster. The move corresponded to Seth Lugo being activated ahead of his Sunday start against the Braves.

It didn’t take long for a team to jump on Gilmartin. The St. Louis Cardinals claimed the 27-year old southpaw and optioned him to AAA Memphis. Gilmartin had one more short and sweet message for the organization on his way out:

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Gilmartin had spent most of the 2017 season with Las Vegas and was used as a starter. The numbers were ugly this season, but he did pitch in a hitter-friendly league and ballpark in Las Vegas. Gilmartin was 2-2 with a 7.05 ERA in eight starts. Gilmartin also made two appearances with the Mets this season and allowed five runs on eight hits in 3.1 innings.

It’s hard to believe that just two years ago, Gilmartin was a mainstay in the Mets’ bullpen. He appeared in 50 games during 2015 and pitched to a 2.67 ERA. He struck out 54 batters in 57.1 innings and posted a WHIP of 1.18, his lowest in a full season. Gilmartin only surrendered two home runs that season in 212 opponent at-bats.

The interesting part of all this is Rafael Montero has still hung around. Montero is slightly younger, but has had multiple failed attempts at the big league level. Currently, Montero is the ultimate tease. In two starts since he was sent back to AAA, Montero has allowed two earned runs in 12.2 innings. In four AAA starts this year, Montero has posted a 1.57 ERA.

This is all small potatoes in the grand scheme of things because neither has helped out the big league club in 2017. However, it was interesting to see how much better Gilmartin has been (granted in the minors) against left handed hitters. In Las Vegas, lefties were only hitting .209 against Gilmartin, 49 points lower than his career Major League average.

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The Mets as a unit have statistically been above average against lefties though. Their opponent batting average and slugging percentage are tenth and sixth-best respectively. So how much could Gilmartin really add to that aspect down the line? Gilmartin will now head to his fourth team in his seventh season.