Chad

Smith

There are no big surprises among this batch of cuts for the Mets, though Hartwig, Walker and Smith are all likely to see action out of the Mets’ bullpen at some point during the upcoming 2024 season. Hartwig, 26, made 28 appearances for the Mets during the 2023 season — posting a 4.84 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and a 30/15 K/BB ratio across 35 1/3 innings of work.

The 28-year-old right-hander twirled 13 2/3 innings for the Athletics in 2023 where he registered a 6.59 ERA, 1.61 HIP and a 9/7 K/BB ratio. He’ll add bullpen depth for the Mets, but will be considered a longshot to crack the Opening Day roster.

It’s likely that most — if not all — of the hurlers will refuse the outright assignments and elect free agency. There’s something to be said though for a lack of competition, and if they’re serious about securing a spot in a big league bullpen for the 2024 season, the A’s may offer the clearest path to doing so.

Smith was promoted on Saturday when Angel Felipe landed on the paternity list, but he’ll head right back to Triple-A with Felipe set to return on Tuesday. The 28-year-old hurler has posted a 6.59 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 9/7 K/BB ratio over 13 2/3 innings with the big league club this season.

Smith was removed from Oakland’s 40-man last month, but he’s back now. He has a 6.75 ERA in 12 innings in the majors this season. That’s actually better than his Triple-A ERA of 7.88.

Smith went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week, and will presumably stick around with the Athletics as extra organizational depth.

Smith has been removed from Oakland’s 40-man roster to make room for veteran catcher Manny Piña to be activated from the 60-day injured list. The 28-year-old righty has made nine relief appearances this season in the majors. He’s unlikely to generate much interest on waivers.

Smith has been sent back to the minors to make room for newly-acquired reliever Yacksel Ríos to join Oakland’s bullpen ahead of Tuesday’s contest against the Guardians. The 28-year-old righty has made nine relief appearances this season in the majors.

He’s taking the place of the injured Richard Lovelady (elbow) in the A’s bullpen. The 28-year-old hurler has already appeared in eight games for the Athletics this season -- registering a 6.30 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and a 6/5 K/BB ratio over 10 innings.

The A’s needed to free up a spot on the active roster for Drew Rucinski to start on Friday night and it looks like Smith was the odd-man out this time around. The right-hander posted a troublesome 6.30 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and a 6/5 K/BB ratio across 10 innings with the big league club. He’ll continue to hone his craft at the Triple-A level.