The Tampa Bay Rays sent centerfielder Jose Siri to the New York Mets in exchange for reliever Eric Orze, according to Anthony DiComo.
The right-handed Siri was the primary center fielder in Tampa Bay last season, slashing .187/.255/.366 with 18 home runs and 14 stolen bases in 130 games for the Rays.
The 29-year-old made his Major League debut for the Houston Astros on Sept. 3, 2021, against the San Diego Padres. In August 2022, he was part of the three-team deal between the Astros, Rays and Baltimore Orioles that sent Trey Mancini to Houston.
Siri has always been a defensive stalwart, but broke out offensively in 2023 with 25 home runs in 101 games for the Rays. However, Siri was one of the least valuable batters in the league last season per Statcast, finishing near the bottom in batting run value (-22) last season.
His glove, however, remained elite, as Siri finished fourth among MLB centerfielders in Fielding Run Value (15) and third in Outs Above Average (16). That performance kept him in positive territory in both Baseball Reference WAR (1.8) and FanGraphs WAR (1.9).
With Tyrone Taylor still under team control, it’s not guaranteed that Siri would slot as the starting centerfielder currently. He could play a defense-first role for the Mets much like Harrison Bader did in 2024, though his power from the right side could potentially give him an advantage over Taylor.
After being drafted by the Mets in the fifth round of the 2020 draft, Orze made his MLB debut on July 8th, 2024. He pitched in two games—giving up four runs in 1 2⁄3 innings—before being sent back down to Triple-A Syracuse.
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