The pitcher the Mets will DFA when roster shrink from 28 to 26

Major League Baseball expanded rosters to 28 for the first month of the 2022 season, due to the lockout cutting into spring training and the delayed start of the season. With just over a week to go until rosters reduce back to the normal 26, teams are starting to look at candidates to get sent down to AAA or DFA’d. The New York Mets have a couple of candidates, but one guy stands out.

The Mets should DFA Sean Reid-Foley when rosters are reduced.

Reid-Foley was the extra pitcher added, and he’s in line to be the pitcher removed to get the team under the roster limit. He has barely been used, pitching just 4.2 innings, and he has not been effective. He’s given up two hits, four walks, and all four of the runs he’s given up have been earned. His ERA is 7.71, his FIP is 4.15, his WHIP is 1.29, and his ERA+ is 53.

Reid-Foley’s main problem is his control, or more accurately, his sudden lack thereof. In 2021, he walked nine batters in 20.2 innings, which is a BB/9 of 3.92. That’s a lot, but this year it’s up to 7.71, which is nuts. His K/9 is also down from last year, dropping from 11.32 to 9.64. Not only is he walking more guys, he’s also struggling to strike them out. 

I think a large factor in this is that he hasn’t been used consistently. We are now 12 games into the season, and his 2.2 innings have come over just three appearances. He doesn’t even have enough innings to register Baseball Savant percentiles. Unfortunately for him, the Mets’ bullpen is just way too deep for him to get consistent reps. He’s not going to get time over Edwin Diaz, Trevor May, Seth Lugo, Chasen Shreve, Adam Ottavino, Trevor Williams, Drew Smith, or even Joely Rodriguez, who has also struggled to start the season.

Reid-Foley is the easy choice to be DFA’d when rosters are reduced on May 1st. Hopefully he gets a chance with another team, but he just doesn’t have a spot on the Mets.