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Going into last season, the Mets had subpar pitching depth, to put it mildly. But in the offseason, they’ve made several additions through free agency and trades to bolster that depth. Now, a lot of the guys who were the next man up last year find themselves way down in the pecking order, with no guarantee that they will see substantial major league playing time, if any at all.
One of those pitchers is longtime Mets prospect Corey Oswalt. Last season, Oswalt pitched in four games for the Mets, with one of those appearances being a start. As recently as 2018, he made 12 starts for the Mets at the major league level. But this season, with the rotation strengthened and important depth pieces such as Joey Lucchesi and Jordan Yamamoto in the fold, Corey Oswalt found himself designated for assignment and off the 40-man roster entirely. He is set to begin the year with Triple-A Syracuse.
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After the conclusion of the 2020 season, the Mets were an important lesson in building actual pitching depth. The team featured some of the worst starting pitching in baseball last year largely due to their lack of depth and complete unpreparedness for injuries. This is after they had gone into the year touting their starting depth and patting themselves on the back for the job they did building it just because they happened to have six starting pitchers on the major league roster instead of the requisite five. This was common belief the Mets frequently championed during the Wilpon Era; that the organizational pitching depth beyond the major league roster was immaterial as long as they had that coveted sixth starter.
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The Mets announced on Tuesday that RHP Corey Oswalt has cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A. In addition, the team has released RHP Brad Brach.
Oswalt will be invited to spring training, after he was designated for assignment six days ago to make room on the roster for Albert Almora Jr.
Oswalt has appeared in 23 games over the past three seasons, often used as a long-relief option or spot-starter. He had a 4.35 ERA in 13.0 innings during the 2020 season, and owns a career 6.19 ERA.
Right-hander Corey Oswalt cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday by the New York Mets, who also released right-hander Brad Brach. Oswalt, 27, will attend major league spring training as a non-roster player. The two moves created roster spots for infielder Jonathan Villar, who finalized a $3.55 million, one-year contract Thursday, and outfielder Albert Almora, who completed a $1.25 million, one-year contract Wednesday.