Mets designate Josh Smoker for assignment to make room for Jose Reyes

To make room for Jose Reyes on their 40-man roster, the Mets have designated left-handed relief pitcher Josh Smoker for assignment. As a result, the team must expose Smoker to waivers, and he’ll have to clear them to end up in the Mets’ minor league system.

Reyes had a bad year in 2017, as he was absolutely terrible in the first half of the season before going on a bit of a successful run in the second half. In total, he hit .246/.315/.413 with 15 home runs and 24 stolen bases in 30 attempts.

Smoker, who throws hard, did a pretty decent job of striking out opposing batters with a rate of 10.86 per nine, but he walked 5.11 per nine, too, and was prone to serving up home runs. He had a 5.11 ERA and 4.92 FIP. Still, it’s hard to imagine he’ll clear waivers and remain within the organization. And considering the Mets have not shown much interest in building a better bullpen through free agency, it’s a little disappointing to see a reliever who could end up being useful at the major league level exposed to waivers.