Right-handed reliever Drew Smith (elbow) agreed to an undisclosed one-year deal to re-sign with the New York Mets on Wednesday, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. The deal includes a club option for the 2026 season. Smith continues to rehab from a hybrid internal-brace/Tommy John surgery last July. There is a chance the 31-year-old reliever could return later this year, but it's more likely the Mets are envisioning him returning to full strength in 2026. The TJ surgery he had last summer was the second such procedure of his career. The former third-round selection by the Detroit Tigers in 2015 out of Dallas Baptist University had a nice 3.06 ERA (3.56 FIP), 1.53 WHIP, two saves, 23 strikeouts and nine walks in 17 2/3 relief innings for the Mets last year before injuring his elbow. Smith can obviously be ignored in all fantasy formats in 2025.
New York Mets relief pitcher Drew Smith (elbow) underwent an internal-brace procedure and Tommy John reconstruction surgery on a ligament, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. This operation will keep Smith sidelined for at least the remainder of this season and potentially a majority of next summer as well. The 30-year-old held a 3.06 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and a 9:23 BB:K across 17 2/3 innings this season. He also tallied two saves. The right-hander typically operated in the seventh and eighth inning of games, which provided him the opportunity to tally six holds through the first half of the summer. Jake Diekman, Adam Ottavino, and Phil Maton are all likely candidates to see setup opportunities in the later innings, while Edwin Diaz continues to serve as the ninth-inning option in Queens.
Drew Smith Likely To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
New York Mets relief pitcher Drew Smith (elbow) is expected to require Tommy John surgery. This is a tough break considering how well Smith has been pitching for the Mets this season. He recently went down with an elbow sprain but it sounds like the issue is more severe. The expectation is Smith wouldn't pitch again until mid-way into 2025, assuming he has surgery. The right-hander posted a 3.06 ERA through 17 2/3 innings for the Mets this season. In a corresponding move, Ty Adcock was recalled when Smith was placed on the injured list earlier this week.
New York Mets reliever Drew Smith came in for the final two outs of Sunday's game in London against the Philadelphia Phillies and earned himself a save in a 6-5 win. Smith came in with two runners on and promptly put himself in a difficult position by allowing a hit and a walk to let a run in and load the bases. The 30-year-old then got Nick Castellanos to hit a weak tapper in front of the plate that catcher Luis Torrens was able to make a terrific play on and turn a double play, ending the game. The Mets bullpen is a mess right now, and with Edwin Diaz coming back next week it isn't worth picking up anyone in it.
New York Mets relief pitcher Drew Smith (shoulder) expects to make two more rehab outings on Wednesday and Friday for Triple-A Syracuse. It puts Smith on track to return from the injured list on Saturday or Sunday during the upcoming weekend series against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks as he enters the final stages of his recovery from soreness in his right shoulder. The hard-throwing 30-year-old right-hander has been limited to 10 innings out of New York's bullpen this season, and while he owns a strong 2.70 ERA, Smith's 1.70 WHIP and 11:7 K:BB isn't the most encouraging combination. Although he'll be a welcome addition to a Mets bullpen with a scuffling Edwin Diaz, Smith doesn't project for much fantasy relevance for the remainder of the campaign outside of leagues that count holds.
New York Mets relief pitcher Drew Smith (shoulder) has restarted his minor-league rehab assignment and threw a scoreless innings for High-A Brooklyn on Sunday. Smith is penciled in for a couple more rehab appearances and is due back in the big leagues in around a week. The 30-year-old reliever is nearing a return after suffering a setback with his right shoulder in early May. The former third-round selection by the Detroit Tigers in the 2015 MLB draft out of Dallas Baptist will return to a prominent late-inning bullpen role for the Mets when he's officially reinstated. Before his injury, he had a 2.70 ERA (3.03 FIP), one save, a 1.70 WHIP, seven walks and 11 strikeouts in 10 relief innings. Smith will have some fantasy value in holds leagues.
"Everything's trending in the right direction" for New York Mets relief pitcher Drew Smith (shoulder) to come off the 15-day injured list early this week, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. The 30-year-old right-hander will most likely come off the injured list on Tuesday and be eligible out of the bullpen against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. Smith had a strong 2.70 ERA and 1.70 WHIP with three holds and one save in 10 innings pitched for the Mets before he was placed on the injured list on April 27 with right-shoulder inflammation. Outside of deep holds leagues, Smith doesn't have a ton of fantasy value in a setup role in New York's bullpen. In his six-year career with the Mets, Smith holds a 3.48 ERA, a 1.70 WHIP, four saves and 190 strikeouts in 188 2/3 innings pitched.
New York Mets relief pitcher Drew Smith earned his first save of the season in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Pirates. Smith came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by two and delivered a 1-2-3 outing with two strikeouts. Edwin Diaz had pitched each of the last two days, so Smith was called upon to close things out. The 30-year-old has pitched well this season, going 1-0 with two holds and a 1.08 ERA in 8 1/3 IP. However, he has not seen enough high-leverage situations to warrant fantasy attention at this time.
New York Mets reliever Drew Smith is being discussed in trade talks by the club. The right-hander is in his final season of club control and can be retained via arbitration after earning $1.3 million last season. There is a Friday 7 pm Central Time deadline for clubs to tender arbitration-eligible players contracts for the 2024 season, so the Mets are seeing what Smith's market is like before potentially tendering him another contract. Smith took a step back in the 2023 season, working to a 4.15 ERA across 62 appearances but he is still the owner of a rock-solid 3.53 ERA across 172 career big-league appearances, although his 33.7% career ground-ball rate has led to some home run issues as evidenced by his 1.36 HR/9 clip.
New York Mets relief pitcher Drew Smith picked up his third save of the year in Friday's 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners. The 29-year-old allowed a leadoff walk, but then nabbed a key pickoff of pinch-runner Jose Caballero to undo the damage. Dominic Canzone managed a single before Smith struck out Ty France on a foul tip to nail it down. The Mets seem to have embraced a full-blown committee approach at closer also including Adam Ottavino and Brooks Raley. It's not a situation most fantasy managers should want any part of, but Smith is at least worth keeping an eye on to see if he makes inroads on the open gig down the stretch. The right-hander shows a ho-hum 3.97 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 56:22 K:BB in 47 2/3 innings this year.
Drew Smith
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Mets
