According to ESPN New York, left-handed reliever Daniel Ray Herrera and former top-prospect Fernando Martinez have been placed on waivers in order to clear room on the Mets' 40-man roster for Scott Hairston and Ronny Cedeno.
Believe it or not, Martinez only recently turned 23, but he's struggled with injuries and hasn't played anything close to a full season in the minor leagues since 2008. For several years, he was considered a top prospect in the organization, but on top of his inability to stay on the field, he wasn't all that impressive at the plate. His OPS in Buffalo in 2010 was .765, and it dipped to .746 in 2011.
Although the odds of Martinez making an impact with the Mets look pretty low right now, it's too early to give up on a 23-year-old who has, at times, shown some promise in the minor leagues. The Mets had some options when it came to designating players for assignment, and at quick glance, I'd have preferred to see either D.J. Carrasco or Josh Stinson placed on waivers instead of Martinez.
Now, twenty-nine other organizations will now have the opportunity to pick up Martinez and give him a shot. If he clears waivers, he'll almost definitely wind up back in Buffalo. It would be surprising if he clears, though, as it won't cost another organization anything to give him a chance in their system.
As for Herrera, the Mets seemed very happy with the performance of Tim Byrdak in 2011, and it appears they're not all that concerned about having a second left-handed reliever in the bullpen. The team was apparently concerned about his effectiveness, even against left-handed hitters, once the league and division had some time to get used to his screwball.
Martinez and Herrera may not amount to much with other organizations if they're picked up on waivers, but it'd be a shame to see Martinez get it together elsewhere.