Former Blue Jays Reliever Becomes Free Agent After Being DFA'd by Mets

A former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher is looking for a new home after the New York Mets designated him for assignment.

May 10, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A pair of Toronto Blue Jays hats and glove in the dugout during a game against the Minnesota Twins at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Back in spring training, the Toronto Blue Jays had some difficult decisions to make with their roster.

Wanting to clear some space on their 40-man roster, they decided to move on from relief pitcher Zach Pop despite avoiding arbitration with him over the offseason by agreeing to a one-year, $900,000 contract.

Dealing with some elbow soreness during spring training, the Blue Jays were unable to outright him to the minor leagues, which resulted in the team deciding to release him.

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Because of that, Toronto was on the hook for the entirety of the $900,000 he agreed to, making him an affordable target for other teams.

The Seattle Mariners were the first team to give him a look, and he actually made four appearances with them before being released again.

He struggled in those outings, giving up eight earned runs, nine overall, in only 5.1 innings of work. Home runs were an issue, serving up three of them.

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Pop was picked up again, this time by the New York Mets.

Only one appearance was made with them on July 6 against the New York Yankees. He was charged with the loss, giving up three runs in 1.1 innings of work, surrendering five hits, including one home run.

Shortly after that outing, Pop was designated for assignment.

Instead of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Syracuse, the veteran righty has opted to become a free agent after clearing waivers, per MLB Trade Rumors.

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Because he is out of minor league options, sticking with one organization has been a struggle. He will now be looking for a new opportunity where he can remain for the rest of the season.

Possessing a fastball that sits in the high-90s, Pop will likely get another shot to prove himself somewhere.

Across 162.1 career innings at the Major League level, he has a 4.88 ERA with 126 strikeouts. He isn’t going to blow away opponents, generating ground balls to create outs, but he can be a valuable bullpen arm for someone if he is able to limit the home runs given up.

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