NY Mets release oft-injured player who had an outstanding 1.66 ERA last year

The New York Mets recently made a notable transaction, releasing oft-injured right-handed reliever Sean Reid-Foley. A former top prospect in the Toronto Blue Jays system, the Mets originally acquired the right-hander in the deal that sent Steven Matz North of the border. Reid-Foley now hits the open market but had a strong run last year.

Reid-Foley pitched to the tune of a 1.66 ERA, 2.80 FIP, and 1.25 WHIP in 21.1 innings last season. The right-hander struck out 27.8% of opponents and induced a whiff rate of 29.4%. He also didn’t allow a single home run and was only one of two relievers last season with a zero percent barrel rate. His ground ball rate was also just above 60% at 60.8%. But walks have always been a thorn in Reid-Foley’s side, and he had a 15.6% BB% last year.

However, this was the first time Reid-Foley had any sort of run of success in the Majors. He has appeared in every season since 2018 but only tossed 110 innings from ‘18 to ‘23 with the Jays and Mets, suffering multiple injuries and bouts of underperformance. He only had a 4.58 ERA, 4.68 FIP, and 1.55 WHIP throughout parts of his first six seasons in the Majors.

Mets release Sean Reid-Foley, who had a 1.66 ERA out of the bullpen in 2024.

The Mets ultimately did not see SRF as a part of their 2025 bullpen and put him on outright waivers in early March. Reid-Foley then opened 2025 at Syracuse and has struggled badly. He’s allowed 13 earned runs in 14 innings, with 14 walks and four home runs allowed. Opponents haven’t had any trouble hitting him hard, with a 91.6 MPH exit velocity and 15.8% barrel rate. The only positives from his time at Syracuse this season are his 31.6% K% and 34.7% whiff rate.

Now, some things out of SRF’s control are affecting him and would likely return to normal and bring his numbers down a bit in a larger sample size. He has a .471 batting average on balls in play, which isn’t even close to a rate Ty Cobb ever had in a single season. His HR:FB ratio sits at 40%. Barry Bonds’ highest single-season HR:FB ratio was only 29.6%. However, given how hard he’s gotten hit at Triple-A, he’d likely still have a poor BABIP and HR:FB ratio.

Even if SRF’s numbers were better at Triple-A, it would have been hard for him to find his way back onto the Mets’ Major League roster. The Mets currently have six pitchers who have made at least 15 appearances out of the bullpen with an ERA+ of 100 or greater. Of those six, only one has a FIP over 3.50, that being Jose Butto at 3.62. This also brings a close to the original Steven Matz trade, as none of the players in that swap are with the organizations they were dealt to at the time.