The Mets designated lefty reliever Richard Lovelady for assignment. That’s the corresponding 40-man roster move for utility player Vidal Bruján, whom they acquired from Minnesota tonight.
Lovelady signed a split deal at the beginning of the offseason. He secured a spot on the 40-man at the time of signing but knew there was a decent chance he’d be dropped from the roster over the winter. The contract pays Lovelady a $1MM salary for time in the majors and a $350K rate in the minor leagues. He’s out of options, so the MiLB salary only becomes relevant if the team gets him through waivers at some point. Lovelady would have the right to elect free agency if he’s outrighted but would lose his salary, so the deal is structured to incentivize him to report to Triple-A.
The 30-year-old southpaw made eight appearances for the Mets and pitched twice for the Blue Jays last season. He combined for 11 2/3 innings and gave up 11 earned runs. Lovelady struck out 12 but issued 10 free passes — six via walk and four hit batters. That elevated his career earned run average to 5.35 across 111 innings.
Lovelady had a much better season in the minors. He tallied 38 innings of 1.66 ERA ball while striking out 26.3% of batters faced in Triple-A. The Mets like him as a depth option, so they’ll hope he clears waivers and sticks around in a non-roster capacity. A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley are slated to be the pair of southpaws in Carlos Mendoza’s season-opening bullpen.