Phil Maton got positive perception of Mets from Justin Verlander
Phil Maton of the New York Mets pitches against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field on July 14, 2024. Credit: Jim McIsaac
MIAMI — When Phil Maton learned two weeks ago that the Rays had traded him to the Mets, among his first reactions was: sweet. He and his wife had always enjoyed their visits to New York City, so living there for a few months sounded like a good time.
But he was enthused about the Mets specifically, too, because of what he had heard about them from a certain former teammate: Justin Verlander.
Upon Verlander’s return to Houston last summer, after spending most of the season with the Mets, he spoke highly of his experiences with the club, shaping Maton’s positive perception.
“Everyone [asked Verlander], like, how was it? How’s the organization? He had nothing but good things to say,” Maton said Monday before the Mets’ series finale with the Marlins. “And obviously getting over here, first day, it felt like a really good group of guys. It can be rare in baseball to have that, so I was fortunate to come to a team that has good clubhouse chemistry.”
The Mets brought in Maton, a 31-year-old righthander, for cash or a player to be named to help stabilize a bullpen that had been hit hard by injuries and underperformance. He has done just that in a small sample since, allowing one run in four appearances (and striking out six of 11 batters).
Aside from the on-field results, Maton described a smooth off-field transition, which isn’t always the case for players who move midseason.
“Personnel is all really good, analytics are great, love the coaching staff. It’s made everything a lot easier,” Maton said. “It just seems like all really good people.”
Butto bolstering bullpen
Concrete signs of Jose Butto’s adaptation to life as a reliever: He has been warming up for and recovering from his outings more quickly, manager Carlos Mendoza said.
For a starting pitcher who got plunked into the bullpen when the Mets were desperate, that is a welcomed development. Both jobs involve throwing the ball from the mound to the plate, but the preparation is very different.
Upon calling up Butto at the start of the month, the Mets were wary of using him too much in this new way, but he has handled everything they’ve thrown at him.
“The last time we used him here in Miami [on Saturday], we called down and pretty quickly we got a call back from the bullpen that he was ready. So that’s a good sign that he’s adjusting to the new role,” Mendoza said. “And the way he’s recovering. After he threw that inning, he came in the next day and said he was feeling pretty good. It’s good, the fact that he’s adjusting this quickly to the bullpen role. It’s going to be important for us.”
Butto has posted 8 2⁄3 scoreless innings across five appearances as a reliever. Mendoza maintained that the Mets view him as a starter long-term and did not rule out a return to the rotation this season.
Minors details
The Mets made official a major-league contract with catcher Logan Porter and assigned him to Triple-A Syracuse.
Needing depth at that position, the Mets didn’t have any backstops on the 40-man roster after Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens, and two of Syracuse’s catchers are on the injured list.
Porter, 29, played briefly with the Royals last season, his only major-league action. He had spent this season in Triple-A with the Giants and Royals.
The Mets designated reliever Cole Sulser for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
Extra bases
Mark Vientos checked out fine Monday, a day after getting hit in the helmet on a pickoff attempt, but Mendoza wanted to give him a game off anyway. “It’s pretty scary when one of your players gets hit like that in the head,” he said. “I thought today was a good day to have him down.” . . . Despite his struggles at the plate, DJ Stewart batted fifth both because Mendoza wanted the lefthanded hitter to break up a string of righties and because he sees reasons for optimism from Stewart. “I like where he’s at,” Mendoza said. Stewart entered the game with a slash line of .167/.302/.241 over the previous three months.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
