Logan Verrett struggled after April

Logan Verrett made ten starts for the Mets after April, over which he averaged 4.8 innings and had an alarming 8.09 ERA. It’s little surprise, then, that the team traded him last month to the Orioles for a reported $50,000 to make room on the 40-man roster for Yoenis Cespedes.

The Orioles acquired Verrett two offseasons ago, as well, taking him in the Rule 5 draft. The Rangers picked him off waivers before the 2015 season and returned him to the Mets that May. With a 3.03 ERA over 38.2 innings that year—including an eight-inning, one-run performance against the Rockies at Coors Field—the right-hander showed enough promise to make last season’s opening day roster as the team’s swingman.

Verrett pitched well in his first two starts in April, throwing six scoreless innings in back-to-back starts against the Marlins and Phillies while Jacob deGrom dealt with a lat injury and a family health scare. He was effective out of the pen as well and finished the first month of the season with a 0.52 ERA over 17.2 innings. But the next time he took the mound on May 14 at Coors Field, he gave up seven earned runs was chased in the third inning.

From there, Verrett never returned to form. He allowed five earned runs over four innings in his next start, a 7-4 loss to Milwaukee. Through the rest of the season, he threw only two more quality starts, both of them in July. That gave way to August, when he made three starts and allowed 17 earned runs over 11.1 innings. He finished the season with 91.2 innings pitched and a 5.20 ERA.

Few advanced statistics suggest there is much positive hidden beneath those raw numbers. At 5.51, his FIP was worse than his ERA, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio was the fifth-worst of all major league starters with at least 90 innings pitched.

Pitching out of the bullpen, Verrett was more effective, with a 2.84 ERA over 31.2 innings. The underlying numbers, however, were less kind. Opposing batters hit .276 with an .863 OPS off Verrett in his 23 relief appearances, and he had a 5.17 FIP.

With the success of young starters such as Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo, along with the presence of Rafael Montero and Gabriel Ynoa, Verrett became expendable heading into the 2017 season.