Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Mets made a trio of moves on Friday as they continue to be active in adding depth. They signed right-handed pitcher Kyle Crick to a minor league deal and claimed C/OF Cooper Hummel and catcher Tyler Heineman off waivers.
Hummel, 29, and Heineman, 32, each have a minor league option remaining.
Possessing a unique skill set of being able to catch, play first base, and play left field, Hummel spent the 2023 season with Seattle. He hit .087/.192/.130/.323 with no home runs or RBIs in 10 games.
In 2022, he made his professional debut with Arizona, with a slash line of .176/.274/.307/.580 with three home runs and seven RBIs in 66 games. The switch-hitting Hummel does have a career .420 OBP in Triple-A.
This is the second time David Stearns has acquired Hummel. Drafted in 2016 by the Brewers when Stearns was their general manager, Hummel ascended slowly in Milwaukee’s minor league system before being traded on July 28, 2021 with Alberto Ciprian to the Diamondbacks for future Met Eduardo Escobar.
On November 17, 2022, the Diamondbacks traded Hummel to Seattle for Kyle Lewis.
The switch-hitting Heineman slashed .237/.383/.316/.699 with no home runs and three RBIs in 22 games combined for Toronto and Pittsburgh in 2023.
In 62 games combined for Toronto and Pittsburgh in 2022, Heineman slashed .217/.276/.268/.544 with no home runs and nine RBIs.
Heineman also has a connection to the new Mets hierarchy. He was drafted by Houston in 2012 out of UCLA. At the time, Kris Gross, the Mets’ new vice president of amateur scouting, held the title of Houston’s West Coast supervisor.
Crick did not pitch in 2023, but he does own a 3.56 ERA in 194 relief appearances throughout his career. The 31-year-old last pitched for the Chicago White Sox in 2022, going 2-0 with a 4.02 ERA in 15 2/3 innings.
Crick had his best season as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates back in 2018, when he pitched to a 2.39 ERA in 60 1/3 innings. He is best known for his slider, which led the league with most over 3500 rpms in the last five seasons according to Mike Mayer of Metsmerized. Crick operates with a slider/sinker mix, which is something he has utilized throughout his big league career.
This move comes less than 24 hours after the Mets signed right-handed reliever Austin Adams to a one-year deal. Edwin Díaz will be back in 2024, but given the way the bullpen performed for a large majority of last season, it appears that more moves will be made in order to strengthen that area of the team.
The Mets 40-man roster is now at 32 and will be at 33 when the Luis Severino signing is official.
