The New York Mets just fortified their bullpen by acquiring reliever Tobias Myers from the Milwaukee Brewers in the same deal that landed starter Freddy Peralta, and that move has led indirectly to the release of Richard Lovelady.
Releasing Lovelady is the concomitant move for the acquisition of Minnesota Twins utility infielder Vidal Brujan, whom the Mets acquired yesterday after trading infielder Luisangel Acuna to the Chicago White Sox as part of the deal for new center fielder Luis Robert Jr. It’s a slightly confusing sequence of moves, but letting Lovelady go basically opens up the required roster spot for Brujan.
As for the players themselves, Lovelady was considered a fringe bullpen candidate, and he still may become that. He signed a split deal early in the offseason, according to Anthony Franco of MLBTradeRumors.com, and that contract pays him $1 million dollars for his time in the majors and a rate of $350K if he lands in the minors.
Lovelady is out of options, so the minor league money only becomes applicable if he gets through waivers and ends up back in the Mets minor league system. Lovelady would have the right to enter free agency if he is outrighted, but he’d lose his salary, so the basic intent of this deal is to given him an incentive to report to Triple-A Syracuse instead.
The reliever struggled in the majors last year. He made eight appearances for the Mets and another two for the Toronto Blue Jays, and he gave up 11 earned runs in just over 11 innings. Control was his big issue, as he walked six and hit another four batters over the course of those appearances.
The 30-year old Lovelady actually pitched well in the minors last year, so he might well be a classic example of a so-called “Four A” player. The lefty had an impressive ERA of 1.66 in 38 innings, and the Mets like him as a depth option. The Mets bullpen remains a work in progress even with the acquisition of Myers, with relievers A.J. Minter and Brooks Riley currently slotted in as the left-handed options.
As for Brujan, he’s had his traveling shoes on lately. The Mets acquired him for cash from the Twins, but he actually finished the season with the Atlanta Braves, who released him shortly thereafter. Brujan is currently out of options, so that’s part of the reason he’s being moved around, the other being that he’s very light offensively, having posted a slash line of .199/.267/.276 over parts of five seasons in the big leagues.