The New York Mets made a rather shocking announcement on March 28 (Korean time) just before the start of the 2023 season. It was officially announced that Darin Ruff (37), who is close to the player who was ‘brought’ by trade last year, will be nominated as a transfer player (DFA).
The championship-thirsty Mets needed a right-handed designated hitter against lefties, and they traded four players to get the rough that they were doing well in San Francisco. The rough was a fairly important part of the team. However, after transferring last year, he crashed with a batting average of 0.152 and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.413 in 29 games, and when he failed to show any signs of improvement in spring training this year,스포츠토토 he boldly designated the transfer.
No team wanted a rough in the waiver process, and the Mets will officially release the rough on the 3rd. In fact, even until this timing, there was a prospect that ‘re-employment’ would not be difficult. Ruff’s annual salary, which is around $3.5 million, must be paid by the Mets in full this year. A team that wants the rough can only spend about $720,000, which is the lowest annual salary in the major leagues. It was also predicted by the local media that any team that wants a right-handed hitter could recruit him.
However, his grades are gradually declining, and he is in his mid- to late 30s. Until the 7th, no team had recruited Ruff. Ruff’s re-employment period is longer than expected. Considering that he is a player with no salary burden, there is also a view that is unexpected.
‘Major League Trade Rumors’ evaluated the rough on the 8th (Korean time) as ‘a right-handed batter who was a typically effective first base and corner outfield option until recently’ and recorded a batting average of 0.271, an on-base percentage of 0.385, and a slugging percentage of 0.519 two years ago. He predicted that he would receive attention from other teams someday.
Now, all 30 major league clubs are on the way to the concept set before the season. However, the number of injuries is gradually increasing, and as the season progresses, there are bound to be conflicts with the concept. At this time, opportunities may be opened to players who are waiting for re-employment. It is not yet time to give up.
However, if he does not perform well in his new team, an emergency light will come on in his future career. Ruff will turn 38 next year, and his OPS has plummeted from 0.887 in 2020 and 0.904 in 2021 to 0.645 in 2022. Even looking at his 2022 performance, his performance at the Mets (.413), where he played in the second half, was worse than his performance at San Francisco (.701), where he played in the first half. It is clear that his rapid decline is on the rise. There is no way that major league clubs are unaware of this data. It remains to be seen if he will rebound again.