Mets Release Trayce Thompson
The Mets have released outfielder Trayce Thompson , according to his transaction log on MLB.com. He signed a minor league contract with the club this past offseason.
A second-round pick in the 2009 draft, Thompson made his MLB debut with the White Sox in 2015. He has since spent time with the Dodgers, Yankees, Athletics, Guardians, Diamondbacks, Cubs, Padres, Tigers, and Mets organizations, including two separate stints with the Dodgers and three with the White Sox.
Thompson, now 33, had the best year of his career with the Dodgers in 2022. He joined the team in mid-June (after short stints with the Padres and Tigers) and stuck on the active roster for the rest of the season. Over 74 games with L.A. that year, he slashed .268/.364/.537 with 14 doubles and 13 home runs. He also played well in the field, putting up a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage and 4 Outs Above Average (OAA) in 496 2/3 defensive innings. After his impressive performance, Thompson made the Dodgers' Opening Day roster in 2023 but struggled to replicate his success from the year prior. He spent almost all of June and July on the IL with a strained oblique, and the Dodgers traded him back to the White Sox at the deadline as part of a package for Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly . Thompson struggled even more over the rest of the year in Chicago, and the White Sox outrighted him after the season. He elected free agency shortly afterward.
The Mets came calling this past winter, and Thompson agreed to a minor league deal with his tenth organization in December. Although he received an invitation to spring training and produced an .891 OPS in 12 Grapefruit League games, he failed to earn a spot on New York's Opening Day roster. He hit reasonably well in 62 games for the Triple-A Syracuse Mets, hitting 16 home runs and posting an .800 OPS in 253 plate appearances. However, the International League has a high standard for offense, as evidenced by the fact that Thompson's .800 OPS translates to a below-average 95 wRC+. The Mets recently needed to promote an outfielder when Starling Marte went on the IL , but it was Ben Gamel â€" another veteran who signed a minor league deal with the club this offseason â€" who got the call.
Thompson is now eligible to seek his next opportunity and perhaps join his eleventh MLB organization.
