The New York Mets have officially given up on their season? Rather than trading Marlon Byrd last month before the non-waiver trade deadline, the Mets moved their most productive outfielder. Who claimed the outfielder? That has yet become unclear.
Byrd is having a monster year. At age 35, following his use of PED's and a 50-game suspension, the Mets gave Byrd a chance and he became their most productive outfielder. He's hit 21 home runs with 71 RBI in 117 games this season. Byrd is also hitting .285 with a .330 on-base and .518 slugging percentage. In the outfield, Byrd has seven assists and just three errors. He would make a lot of sense to many teams around the league, especially those making a playoff run.
Who else could be on the move?
Catcher John Bucket appears to be a waiver candidate. The 33-year-old catcher, who made his way to New York from the Toronto Blue Jays in the R.A. Dickey trade, has not received a lot of playing time since the Mets called up their rookie sensation Travis d'Arnaud. Buck started out the season on fire, smacking nine home runs before after the first month of baseball was over. He has 15 home runs with 60 RBI in 2013, while throwing out 30 percent of base stealers.
Pedro Feliciano, who is far removed from the player he was in the mid-2000's due to injury, might find another home if claimed off waivers. Feliciano is a lefty specialist. However, in 10 appearances, he's 0-2 with a 3.38 ERA. He's pitched only 5.1 innings, allowing two earned runs, while recording four strikeouts. Back in 2006, Feliciano was extremely effective, posting a 7-2 record with a 2.09 ERA. However, from 2008-2010, he led the league in appearances, totaling 266 games and 175.1 innings pitched. It's safe to say the Mets overused the lefty, which led to injuries that prevented the 36-year-old from pitching in the majors in 2011 and 2012.
