Mets reliever Brooks Raley will have Tommy John surgery next week, Newsday's Tim Healey reports. That would end his 2024 season and likely cost him at least the first half of the '25 campaign.
It could also mark the end of Raley's time in Queens. The southpaw, 35, (36 in June) will be available for free next season. Raley is playing this season on a $6.5MM salary after the Mets exercised his club option early last winter. That was an easy decision considering how well Raley played during 2022-23.
In 126 appearances over that span, he posted a 2.74 earned run average behind a 26.8% strikeout rate. The Mets received trade calls at last summer's deadline (and possibly again this winter) but chose to hold on to him as their top lefty setup option.
That will unfortunately go down as a very lost investment. Raley had an excellent start to the season, working seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in eight games. He went on the injured list on April 21 with what turned out to be a season-ending injury. While the Mets initially diagnosed the issue as inflammation and ruled out a short-term absence, tests later revealed a hamstring injury.
Without Raley, the Mets are light on left-handed relievers. Jake Diekman their clear top choice. The 37-year-old has made 20 appearances and posted his combination of big hitting and leading figures. Diekman struck out 23 of 70 batters (about 33%) while issuing 14 walks (20%). He owns a 3.86 ERA across 16 1/3 innings. The veteran is an effective reliever, but he may not be as flashy as the team's best left-hander.
Josh Walker has been on and off the active roster all season. He is currently in an intermediate support role. Danny Young is on optional assignment for Triple-A Syracuse. Tyler Jay saw MLB time early in the season and remains in the organization after coming off the 40-man roster last month. The Mets can accommodate a swingman David Peterson back on the 60-day injured list as soon as next week. Whether he'll work in the bullpen or hold a spot in the rotation — probably instead of struggling Adrian Houser – still to be decided.
Raley spent the last month in IL for 15 days. The Mets can move him up to 60 days any time they need to open a spot on the 40-man roster (although they already have two spots in that regard). His camp will likely look for a two-year contract when he hits the open market, likely with a lower salary in the first season.
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