Before the New York Mets had enough of Michael Tonkin, a week passed. Before Friday’s game, the right-handed free agent was designated for assignment to provide space for Julio Teheran.
Tonkin was a valuable asset to the team due to his ability to pitch several innings, but in his second and third appearances, he was placed in a difficult situation. Both on Monday and Thursday in game one, Tonkin—called upon from the bullpen in extra innings twice—took the loss.
With a 4.50 ERA in 4 innings pitched against him and only 2 earned runs due to the phantom runner rule in extra innings, Tonkin will be released from the 40-man roster. Still, it might not be the end for him. Tonkin may be able to avoid waivers and could even accept a minor league assignment. He will not be able to use the $1 million contract he signed with the Mets if he decides to pursue free agency.
The greatest benefit of this Mets roster choice
In the meanwhile, we can think of Reed Garrett as Tonkin’s bullpen replacement, even though Teheran replaces him right away on the roster. A win against two losses is what Tonkin lacks, but what does Garrett have? It’s the
For some fans, the end of Tonkin may be sufficient satisfaction. The team as a whole has benefited more from their increased flexibility, which allows them to demote and promote relievers with greater ease than they had at the beginning of the season. The bullpen arms can be deployed quickly, as we witnessed in Thursday’s first game against the Tigers. The risk of losing a player through waivers prevented the franchise from having the flexibility to instantly call up someone from Triple-A.
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