The New York Mets have officially released outfielder Chris Young.
The team announced the move on Twitter:
This comes after New York designated the 30-year-old for assignment earlier in the week, per ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin.
“It caught me a little bit off-guard,” said Young after hearing the news. “I wasn’t expecting it. I understood that the playing time had changed. And I realized that. But I didn’t think this was coming. The team has to do whatever they feel is best for the team. I respect that.”
General manager Sandy Alderson said that he felt the timing was right and that Young simply wasn’t working out for the Mets.
Through 88 games in 2014, Young was hitting .205/.283/.346 with eight home runs and 28 runs batted in. He’s looked a shell of the player who averaged a little over 23 homers and 71 RBI between 2007 and 2011. According to FanGraphs, he’s been the team’s worst hitter, with a WAR of -0.5—and Bartolo Colon’s included on that list.
Signing the veteran to a one-year deal for over $7 million has proven to be a major mistake for the team.
Rubin wonders if Mets management might hold Alderson accountable for some of the personnel decisions he’s made, Young included, that have continued the franchise’s decline:
With rosters set to expand in September, some team might take a gamble on Young. Considering his struggles this year, his price tag will have dropped precipitously from what the Mets signed him for.
Power bats are hard to come by, especially this late into the season. Somebody who’s knocking on the door of the postseason might believe that Young could fill in as a situational hitter.
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