Mets trade for ex-World Series champion pitcher

Mar 26, 2022; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; The New York Mets logo stands in center field before the game against the Washington Nationals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

A former World Series champion is joining Grimace’s party in New York.

The New York Mets announced on Tuesday that they have acquired veteran reliever Phil Maton in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. In return, the Mets will be sending either a player to be named later or cash considerations back to Tampa Bay. New York is also designating fellow pitcher Joey Lucchesi for assignment in a corresponding move.

The righty Maton, 31, is an eight-year veteran who had the best run of his career with the Houston Astros from 2021-23. In 2022, the year that the Astros won the World Series, Maton posted a 3.84 ERA with 73 strikeouts over 67 regular season appearances. While Maton missed the entire 2022 postseason thanks to an off-field injury, he still got a ring from the Astros when they went on to win it all.

This season for Tampa Bay, Maton mainly worked out of a setup role, submitting an ERA of 4.58 with 30 strikeouts in 40 appearances. Though those numbers don’t quite pop off the page, the Mets will take a chance on him (a little over a month after they had to banish another righty reliever).