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Trevor Williams was on the Mets’ radar last winter as a low-cost potential arm with solid potential that could help with the rotation or bullpen.
He signed a one-year contract with the Cubs for $ 2.5 million.
Now the Mets will have a chance to find out if the 29-year-old right-hander can help them, having acquired him from the Cubs on Friday with Javier Baez in a trade for Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Williams, who was 4-2 with a 5.06 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP in 13 appearances for the Cubs, was assigned to Triple-A Syracuse.
“He’s always been a guy who takes the ball,” interim general manager Zack Scott said ahead of the Mets’ 6-2 loss to the Reds at Citi Field. “He’s going to give you sleeves – he’s always been the type to eat sleeves. He is not afraid, he will attack guys and frankly he has flexibility, he has a [minor league] option, which is an advantage for us and a curse for him.
Scott told Williams to prepare, given the alarming number of injuries the Mets have suffered during the rotation this season. There’s also the issue of pitchers asking about the workload after last season’s shortened pandemic season.
Last week, the Mets acquired veteran left-hander Rich Hill from the Rays to bolster the rotation. The 41-year-old is expected to start his second game with the Mets on Saturday.
“You’re either looking for an opportunity to raise your ceiling or raise your floor and those kind of moves for Hill and Williams, these two raise your floor while a Baez has to raise your ceiling,” Scott said.
The Mets completed a full rotation for the first time in weeks after Carlos Carrasco returned from the injured list on Friday; Marcus Stroman, Taijuan Walker, Tylor Megill and Hill are the other components. Williams offers an option other than demoted Jerad Eickhoff for the next role.
The need for another starter became more pronounced when Jacob deGrom was barred from pitching on Friday, which will push his potential return to September.
Williams pitched for the Pirates from 2016-2020. He had his best season of 2018, going 14-10 with a 3.11 ERA in 31 starts.
The franchise will induct Ron Darling, Jon Matlack and Edgardo Alfonzo into the Mets Hall of Fame in a pre-game ceremony on Saturday. The three new additions – the first since 2013 – will bring the total membership of the Mets Hall of Fame to 30. Additionally, Al Jackson will be posthumously honored with the Mets Hall of Fame Award for his contribution to the organization. The group was originally scheduled to be celebrated in 2020, but the ceremony has been postponed due to the pandemic.
In a flurry of roster changes, pitchers Akeem Bostick and Nick Tropeano were nominated for an assignment and Sean Reid-Foley was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Eickhoff and Roel Ramirez were directly assigned to Triple-A Syracuse.
The Mets have used 56 players in 101 games this year, tying a franchise record for most players used in a season. The MLB record for most players used in a season is 67 by the Mariners in 2019. The Mariners entered Friday with 57 players used, the most in the major leagues.
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