The Mets have released outfielder Trayce Thompson, as per his transaction log on MLB.com. Thompson signed a minor league contract with the team this past offseason.
A second-round pick in the 2009 draft, Thompson debuted in the MLB with the White Sox in 2015. He has since played for various teams, including the Dodgers, Yankees, Athletics, Guardians, Diamondbacks, Cubs, Padres, Tigers, and Mets, with multiple stints with the Dodgers and White Sox.
Now 33, Thompson had his best season with the Dodgers in 2022. After joining the team in mid-June (following short stints with the Padres and Tigers), he remained on the active roster for the rest of the season. Over 74 games, he posted a .268/.364/.537 slash line with 14 doubles and 13 home runs. Defensively, he excelled with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage and 4 Outs Above Average (OAA) in 496 2/3 innings. Despite making the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster in 2023, he struggled to replicate his previous success. An oblique strain sidelined him for most of June and July, and he was traded back to the White Sox at the deadline in a package for Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly. Thompson continued to struggle in Chicago and was outrighted by the White Sox after the season, choosing free agency shortly afterward.
This past winter, Thompson signed a minor league deal with the Mets, his tenth organization. Although he impressed in spring training with an .891 OPS in 12 Grapefruit League games, he didn’t make New York’s Opening Day roster. In 62 games for the Triple-A Syracuse Mets, he hit 16 home runs and posted an .800 OPS in 253 plate appearances. However, in the high-offense International League, this translated to a below-average 95 wRC+. When the Mets needed an outfielder due to Starling Marte’s IL stint, they called up Ben Gamel, another veteran signed to a minor league deal.
Thompson is now eligible to seek opportunities with other MLB organizations.
