The New York Mets made their first trade of the offseason Tuesday, acquiring outfielder Jose Siri from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for reliever Eric Orze.
Anthony DiComo of MLB.com first reported the news Tuesday via Twitter/X:
Siri, 29, played 130 games for Tampa Bay in 2024 and slashed .187/.255/.366 while providing most of his value on defense.
Orze, a 27-year-old right-hander, appeared in two major league games and allowed four runs, while spending most of the season (43 appearances) with the Mets' Triple-A affiliate.
A native of Sabana Grande de Boya, Dominican Republic, Siri debuted with the Houston Astros in 2021. He went from Houston to Tampa Bay as part of a three-team trade in Aug. 2022 that sent Baltimore Orioles outfielder/first baseman Trey Mancini to the Astros.
With the Mets, Siri offers a viable replacement for defensive stalwart Harrison Bader, if Bader signs elsewhere in free agency.
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In four seasons with the Astros and Rays, Siri has hit .210 with a .266 on-base percentage and .408 slugging percentage (.674 OPS) while providing outstanding defense in center field. He's also stolen 43 bases in his career in 56 attempts.
Siri began his career in the Cincinnati Reds' minor league system, signing as an amateur in 2012. He was claimed off waivers twice before making his debut -- first by the Seattle Mariners in Feb. 2020, then by the San Francisco Giants a month later -- before signing with the Astros as a free agent in Dec. 2020.
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Never known as an offensive stalwart, Siri hit two home runs and had five RBIs in his first career start with the Astros in 2021. He became the first player since the RBI statistic became official in 1920 to have four hits, two home runs, and five RBIs in his major league debut.
Orze, 27, is a former fifth-round draft pick by the Mets out of the University of New Orleans in 2020.
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The right-hander reached Triple-A in his first professional season, appearing in 10 games with the Syracuse Mets in 2021. He repeated the level each of the next three seasons before finally making his major league debut July 8 in Pittsburgh. It didn't go well.
Orze faced three batters against the Pirates, allowing two hits and a walk without recording an out, and getting stuck with an infinite earned-run average. Orze returned to Triple-A but made one more appearance with the Mets on July 26 against the Atlanta Braves, allowing only a solo home run in 1 2/3 innings.
Presumably Orze will have a chance to lower his career 21.60 ERA in Tampa Bay.