Mets waiver claim from the Tigers is a project to stash on the 40-man roster

Small transactions are nothing new to David Stearns’ tenure as New York Mets President of Baseball Operations. Several player for cash deals have been made this year. He isn’t unfamiliar with the waiver wire either. It’s how Zack Short landed with the team in the offseason. Looking for reinforcements of a different kind, he once again looked to the Detroit Tigers for some depth.

This time, instead of an out of options infielder, Stearns selected recently DFA’d pitcher Ty Adcock. Immediately sent to Triple-A, he’s a worthwhile project for the team to familiarize themselves with.

Here’s the skinny on Ty Adcock and where he fits into the Mets picture

Adcock had a notably solid 3.45 ERA in 15.2 innings of work for the Seattle Mariners last year. He didn’t allow a walk either. Despite being 27-years-old, his career hasn’t included a whole lot of innings. Along with those 15.2 in the majors last season, Adcock has appeared in just 37 in the minor leagues. The 2020 season scrubbed due to the pandemic plus Tommy John surgery have held him back from having any sort of career momentum.

As a member of the Mariners and Tigers Triple-A ball clubs this year, Adcock pitched to an 8.64 ERA in 8.1 innings. He did walk a couple of batters and like his problem in the big leagues with Seattle, he gave up a couple of home runs.

The 3.45 ERA is a bit deceptive as Adcock surrendered 4 home runs in his small sample at the MLB level in 2023. He threw strikes but apparently very hittable ones with a strikeout rate of just 6.3 per 9. A hard-hit percentage of over 50% last season adds to the pile of negativity.

On the positive side, this slider-heavy reliever is a project the Mets can look to unlock beyond just this season. Two minor league options left, with one getting utilized in 2024, he’s essentially the new Kolton Ingram. You may remember Ingram as someone the Mets picked up back in February off of waivers. Ironically enough, he also came from the Tigers. He has since pitched for the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals minor league systems.

The Mets have willingly taken on a couple of projects with Shintaro Fujinami being the most high-profile. The sudden success of Reed Garrett should have them dipping their toes in regularly for more players who fall into the “flier” category. What do the Mets have to lose except for a few games in Syracuse?

It might be a while before we see Adcock on the MLB roster, if at all. The team will have a few more roster moves to take place over the next several weeks. Fujinami is a candidate to move to the 60-day IL to open up a spot. David Peterson should be coming back from the 60-day IL himself as should Kodai Senga. Adcock will need to quickly prove himself worthy of staying on the 40-man roster. We’ve seen how the Mets operate. Patience isn’t in the plan for the players, just the organization.