The Mets released right-handers Adrian Houser and Ty Adcock this afternoon. Will Sammon of The Athletic was the first to report Houser’s release on X, while MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweeted about Adcock’s release.
Both pitchers were previously designated for assignment by New York. Houser was removed from the roster last Friday and remained in DFA limbo as the Mets attempted to find a trade partner before the deadline. When no trade materialized, they were forced to place him on waivers. Given Houser’s more than five years of service time, he would have retained his entire salary if he declined an assignment to Triple-A, leading the Mets to opt for his release instead.
Houser joined the Mets in an offseason trade with Milwaukee, which also included outfielder Tyrone Taylor. Mets’ first-year baseball operations president David Stearns was familiar with both players from his tenure with the Brewers. While Taylor has performed adequately as a fourth outfielder, Houser struggled, giving up nearly a run per inning over seven starts, resulting in his removal from the rotation.
However, the 31-year-old found some success in a long relief role, posting a 3.28 ERA over 35 2/3 innings in 16 appearances. Despite his low strikeout rates (12.5% as a starter, 16.8% in relief), he managed a solid 53.2% ground-ball rate out of the bullpen.
Nevertheless, this performance wasn’t enough to facilitate a trade, and it’s unlikely a team will claim him off release waivers to cover the remaining $1.63 million on his $5 million-plus salary. Once he becomes a free agent, he may attract interest for a prorated portion of the $740,000 minimum salary, possibly receiving minor league offers or a spot on an MLB team’s bullpen for the remainder of the season. Houser will become a free agent again at the start of the offseason.
Adcock was designated for assignment yesterday as part of the Tyler Zuber acquisition. Claimed from the Tigers in May, Adcock made three appearances for the Mets, allowing seven runs in 4 1/3 innings.
