Former New York Mets reliever Richard Lovelady didn’t last long on the unemployment line after being released by the New York Mets, as he was claimed off waivers by the Washington Nationals, with the news reported by Darragh McDonald of MLBTradeRumors.com. The Nationals also released utility man Mickey Gasper for assignment to open up a spot for Lovelady.
The Mets released Lovelady when they acquired sition of Minnesota Twins utility infielder Vidal Brujan, whom the Mets acquired after trading infielder Luisangel Acuna to the Chicago White Sox for new center fielder Luis Robert Jr. It’s a slightly confusing sequence of moves, but letting Lovelady go basically opened up the required roster spot for Brujan.
Lovelady was considered a fringe bullpen candidate in New York. He signed a split deal early in the offseason, according to Anthony Franco of MLBTradeRumors.com, and that contract was set to pay him $1 million dollars for his time in the majors and a rate of $350K if he landed in the minors.
Lovelady is out of options, so the minor league money only became applicable if he made it through waivers and ended up back in the Mets minor league system. Now he gets to potentially find a new home in Washington, which is almost certainly a better deal for Lovelady given how bad the Nationals bullpen was last year. Washington’s bullpen ERA was 5.59, which was even worse than that of the Colorado Rockies, who had an ERA of 5.18.
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.
Lovelady had actually pitched well in the minors, so he might be a classic example of a so-called “Four A” player. The lefty had an impressive ERA of 1.66 in 38 innings, so the Mets liked him as a possible 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.
The Mets are still making bullpen moves, so there are multiple other relievers who face an uncertain fate going forward. Mets GM David Stearns is making step-by-stop moves and deals to improve his pen and the staff as a whole, so releasing Lovelady ended up being a step along the way.