NEW YORK (AP) — With holes to fill on their pitching staff, the New York Mets acquired right-handers Elieser Hernandez and Jeff Brigham in a trade with the Miami Marlins on Friday.
Miami receives minor league righty Franklin Sanchez and a player to be named or cash.
The Mets also claimed right-hander William Woods off waivers from NL East rival Atlanta and cut first baseman Dominic Smith and reliever Sean Reid-Foley.
The 27-year-old Hernandez went 3-6 with a 6.35 ERA in 20 appearances for the Marlins this year, including 10 starts. He gave up 19 home runs in 62 1/3 innings, with 60 strikeouts and 22 walks.
Over five major league seasons with Miami, he is 10-21 with a 5.04 ERA in 90 games (48 starts).
Brigham, 30, was 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA and one save in 16 relief outings for the Marlins this season. He struck out 28 and walked 10 in 24 innings.
In four big league seasons with Miami, Brigham is 3-7 with a 4.52 ERA and two saves. He has appeared in 53 games, making four starts.
Both pitchers are eligible for arbitration this winter.
The 23-year-old Woods made his major league debut this season, throwing two shutout innings in two outings for the Braves. He was 2-9 with a 4.60 ERA in 59 games (18 starts) over four minor league seasons in Atlanta's organization.
All three newcomers offer depth as the Mets rebuild their pitching staff following a playoff loss to San Diego in the wild-card round.
Three members of the rotation became free agents this offseason: Chris Bassitt, Jacob deGrom and Taijuan Walker.
In the bullpen, nearly all of the team’s top relievers besides Drew Smith became free agents, including Adam Ottavino, Seth Lugo, Trevor May, Joely Rodríguez, Mychal Givens, Trevor Williams and Tommy Hunter.
All-Star closer Edwin Díaz returned on a $102 million, five-year contract.
Ahead of Friday night's deadline, the Mets chose not to offer 2023 contracts to Smith and Reid-Foley. Both now become free agents.
Smith had a terrific year at the plate during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season but has struggled since and was demoted to Triple-A this year. He batted .194 with no homers and a paltry .560 OPS in 58 major league games this season while earning a $3.95 million salary. He would have been eligible for arbitration again.
Reid-Foley is recovering from Tommy John surgery in May and likely will miss at least the beginning of next season. The right-hander had a 5.40 ERA in seven appearances this year before injuring his pitching elbow.
The 22-year-old Sanchez was 2-2 with a 3.79 ERA in 17 combined games (seven starts) for Low-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn this year. He had 42 strikeouts and 21 walks in 35 2/3 innings.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander also pitched in the Arizona Fall League for top minor league prospects, compiling an 11.05 ERA in seven relief outings.
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