New York Mets News: Dillon Gee Designated For Assignment

The New York Mets have designated right-handed starting pitcher Dillon Gee for assignment, as first reported by Adam Rubin of ESPN New York on Monday.

Filed to ESPN… Source: Dillon Gee to be designated for assignment by the #Mets. Will tweet link shortly.

— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) June 15, 2015

Gee, 29, has been a focal point of trade rumors since last season. The Texas native has been a part of the Mets rotation since 2010, but with his struggles partnered with the team having a solid core of starters, Gee becomes expendable.

His struggles in 2015 began early; after a rough April, Gee hurt his groin in early-May, causing him to miss just under a month of action. Upon his return, top prospect Noah Syndergaard firmly established himself as a part of the rotation and incumbents Jon Niese, Matt Harvey, and Bartolo Colon were pitching well. That caused the Mets to do what they originally planned on doing, put Gee in the bullpen.

But a frustrated Gee spoke to the New York Times after he was notified of the teams plans.

“I’m almost at the point now where I just don’t even care anymore. I mean, I’m kind of just over it all. I’ll do the best I can out of the pen now.”

What likely sealed Gee’s fate was his dreadful performance against the Atlanta Braves yesterday afternoon during a spot start. In just 3 2/3 innings of work, Gee allowed eight earned runs on 11 hits and struck out four batters. Although the Mets rallied and picked up the 10-8 victory, it brought Gee’s season totals to a 0-3 record with a 5.90 ERA in 39 2/3 frames.

Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson spoke to ESPN about the team’s decision to designate their right-hander.

“One of the reasons for making this decision today is that Dillon would not be available to us in the pen as of today, given that he pitched yesterday and we used a good part of our pen yesterday. We needed the additional arm immediately, and this is consistent with our desire to put the strongest possible 25-man roster together each night.”

Currently, the Mets have heralded prospect Steven Matz in Triple-A, and by all accounts, he is ready for the Major Leagues. However, according to manager Terry Collins in the aforementioned report, the team will try and incorporate spot starts to keep the rotation healthy if needed.

“Right now we have no plans on sticking a sixth guy in there [for a] spot start. We’re gonna stay with the five-man [rotation], and if we need to make an adjustment we’ll do it.”

And as noted by Rubin, Matz will likely be called upon for those spot starts.

Gee’s salary for this season sits at a robust $5.3 million, likely the reason why the Mets struggled to find a trade partner. However, as the Inquisitr reported last week, the team is seeking to upgrade the left side of their infield, therefore a possible trade for a shortstop or third baseman could occur involving Gee.

For his career, Gee owns a 40-37 record with a 4.03 ERA in 679 1/3 innings, including a 13-win season in 2011, so Gee does have a track record of success. The Mets now have seven days to either trade or demote Gee to the minors as he does not have enough service time to declare himself a free agent.

Taking Gee’s spot on the roster is Class-A relief pitcher Akeel Morris

[Image by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images]