Last Tuesday, the Mets designated OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis for assignment.
The Mets had ten days to trade, release outright or waive the player from the time of the assignment. However, a player can only be waived within the first seven days of the assignment.
Last week, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York said the Mets were exploring a trade partner for Nieuwenhuis.
However, the clock is expiring on a trade, as the Mets will soon have to place Nieuwenhuis on waivers to avoid losing him for nothing.
But on Tuesday, Rubin said the Mets were hopeful they could still work out a trade for Nieuwenhuis despite still remaining Mets property and off the waiver wire at this time.
It’s worth seeing if a team might be interesting buying his rights or if the Mets could get some kind of lower level player, but anything they might get likely will not be of any significance.
It’s logical to conclude the Mets have next to no interest in retaining Nieuwenhuis by outrighting him to the minor leagues. It stands to reason – they know what he is at this point, he’s not getting any younger, so there’s no reason to afford him a roster spot in Las Vegas over guys who are developing and likely to be promoted there from Double-A within a month or so.
Nieuwenhuis went 3-for-38 with 17 strikeouts this season with the Mets.
Just Mets 