Mets release former first-round reliever

mets release former first-round reliever

Phil Bickford.

The Mets released right-hander Phil Bickford Tuesday afternoon, as is reflected on the transactions log on the hurler’s MLB.com player profile.

Bickford, 28, was drafted in the first round twice during his days as an amateur; he was first picked 10th overall by the Blue Jays in the 2013 draft before ultimately signing with the Giants after being selected 18th overall in 2015.

Bickford was shipped to the Brewers in a deal that landed the Giants southpaw Will Smith just one year after being drafted. He’d remain in the Brewers’ farm system until 2020, when he made his big league debut with a single appearance that saw him give up four runs in one inning of work.

Bickford’s struggles in Milwaukee continued the following season as he once again received a call-up that lasted just one inning, this time allowing two runs on two hits, a walk and a hit batsmen.

The right-hander would leave Milwaukee with a career 27.00 ERA at the big league level, but upon being claimed off waivers by the Dodgers in May of 2021 quickly began to turn his career around. The right-hander finished the 2021 campaign with a fantastic 2.50 ERA and a solid 3.57 FIP in 56 appearances with Los Angeles.

That standout performance earned him a more permanent role in the club’s bullpen, though he’d come back down to Earth somewhat over the next two seasons with a rather pedestrian 4.84 ERA and 4.36 FIP in 121 appearances.

Just before the trade deadline last year, Bickford found himself shipped to the Mets alongside southpaw Adam Kolarek. Bickford entered his first offseason as a Met eligible for arbitration as a Super Two player, and New York tendered the righty a contract early in the season amid questions regarding the club’s bullpen depth.

The sides were unable to reach an agreement prior to the deadline to exchange arbitration figures back in January, leaving them in line for a hearing the following month. Bickford’s camp submitted a $900K figure, while the Mets countered at $815K.

While Bickford ultimately won that case, going to an arbitration hearing in the first place meant that his salary for the 2024 season wasn’t fully guaranteed. The Mets cut Bickford from their 40-man roster last week and have now released the righty rather than assigning him outright to the minor leagues. As a consequence, Tim Healey of Newsday notes that the club now only owes Bickford 45 days of termination pay, which he adds works out to $217K.

Not only will that save the club $683K in salary that would have been paid to Bickford this season, but when the club is taxed at a 110% rate on all spending beyond the highest luxury tax threshold of $297M at the end of the season, they’ll have saved just over $700K in taxes thanks to their decision to cut Bickford as well, bringing the total savings to nearly $1.5M.

It’s a similar situation to the one former Giants infielder J.D. Davis faced earlier this month when he was squeezed off the roster by the club’s signing of third baseman Matt Chapman. The Davis move stirred up controversy around the sport, and it’s unclear whether or not the veteran infielder will file a grievance against the Giants over the situation.

That being said, Bickford’s case for pursuing a similar course of action may not be as strong as Davis’s. While the current CBA states that players can be cut “for failure to exhibit sufficient skill or competitive ability” if their contract was awarded via an arbitration hearing, neither Bickford’s 5.79 ERA across 4 2/3 innings of work this spring nor his 4.62 ERA in 25 appearances with the club down the stretch last year make a bulletproof argument for his abilities as a big league regular.

Looking ahead, Bickfor will now hit the free agent market for the first time in his career and figures to receive plenty of interest thanks to his solid work over three seasons with the Dodgers, though his overall lack of results at the big league level could leave him limited to only minor league offers.

Meanwhile, the Mets will enter the season with the likes of Jorge Lopez, Drew Smith and Michael Tonkin to cover the middle innings for their bullpen, with the likes of right-hander Shintaro Fujinami and lefty Josh Walker among the club’s depth options.

Want more articles like this? Follow MLB Trade Rumors on MSN to see more of our exclusive MLB content.

More must-reads:

    Trending slideshow: Predicting the award winners for the 2024 MLB season (Provided by Yardbarker)

    OTHER NEWS

    18 minutes ago

    New Jersey gamer flew to Florida to attack online rival with hammer, police say

    18 minutes ago

    Family of Afro Indigenous activist in immigration detention worries he may be deported back to danger

    21 minutes ago

    Lethbridge College to become a polytechnic institution

    21 minutes ago

    Sask. high schoolers graduate after unusual four years

    23 minutes ago

    Video: Abbie Chatfield reveals surprise family news after 'hard launching' new boyfriend Adam Hyde

    23 minutes ago

    Lakers' new coach JJ Redick is accused of calling African-American woman the N-word at Duke in early 2000s.... but ex-Blue Devils star denies claim

    23 minutes ago

    Seasoned Pennsylvania teacher Neil Young wants to take his ‘heart of gold’ to Congress: ‘The real deal’

    23 minutes ago

    Yes, They All Broke Up

    23 minutes ago

    More than two thirds of mothers feel their vote does not count, survey reveals

    24 minutes ago

    Cubs release one-time World Series champion amid career-worst season

    24 minutes ago

    Caucus discipline the ‘most fundamental principle’ of Labor Party

    24 minutes ago

    Practice Footage Of LeBron, Bronny, And Bryce Is Going Viral

    24 minutes ago

    Just Stop Oil Twickenham protester was ‘doing his duty as a doctor’

    24 minutes ago

    Wikileaks founder Julian Assange boards plane out of UK as part of plea deal with the US

    24 minutes ago

    Plano gymnast moved to North Texas in hopes of making Team USA

    24 minutes ago

    Home in south-west Sydney targeted in drive-by shooting

    24 minutes ago

    FlameFest set to fire up winter in Mandurah with two-day sizzling entertainment festival

    24 minutes ago

    GM reveals the American Holden Commodore that never was

    24 minutes ago

    Community donates more than $11,000 to help young Greenfields family after house fire

    24 minutes ago

    Rockingham: Ben Smith & Drew La Reservee mourning unexpected death of 16-month-old son Micah

    24 minutes ago

    Mandurah composting facility C-Wise threatens residents with legal action for ‘defamatory’ Facebook posts

    24 minutes ago

    Vauxhall threatens to pull plug on UK car making amid row over EV sales targets

    24 minutes ago

    Girls Aloud's Nadine Coyle left red-faced after very awkward stage blunder

    24 minutes ago

    Google announces surprise event, teases Pixel 9

    27 minutes ago

    Illinois Tollway unveils ‘lane blades' to help clear debris, keep drivers safe

    29 minutes ago

    Oleksandr Usyk vacating IBF title ahead of Joshua-Dubois bout

    29 minutes ago

    Source: Jim Schlossnagle leaves Texas A&M for Texas baseball job

    29 minutes ago

    ‘Multiple people’ could be charged in Matthew Perry’s overdose death

    29 minutes ago

    WTA roundup: Caroline Wozniacki pulls upset in Bad Homburg

    29 minutes ago

    2025 BMW M5 becomes a 535kW PHEV V8 weapon

    29 minutes ago

    Here's how much the price of gold has dropped since May (and why you should still invest)

    29 minutes ago

    NRL News: Chad chats with club for Sydney swansong, Edwards primed for delayed Origin debut

    29 minutes ago

    Driving test fail rates rise as young people race to book test slots anywhere they can

    29 minutes ago

    Gadecki leads big Aussie charge at Wimbledon qualifying

    29 minutes ago

    Sánchez could earn up to $54.5M with Phillies from 2025-30 if he wins 2 Cy Young Awards

    29 minutes ago

    Elly De La Cruz hit a long homer and drives in 3 runs as Reds rout Pirates 11-5

    29 minutes ago

    A Shopper Who Bought This Retinol Serum 6x Calls It 'an Eraser' for Wrinkles

    29 minutes ago

    BTS' V ‘TYPE 1' Is Coming, Katy Perry Previews Lyrics At Paris Fashion Week & More | Billboard News

    29 minutes ago

    Slater and DCE on cusp of joining Maroons great duos

    29 minutes ago

    Camila Cabello name checks Cristiano Ronaldo and prompts an awkward exchange with the audience; 'Don't boo me'