A dismal week for the New York Mets ended with two sides parting ways.
Outfielder Austin Slater, who the Mets brought in on a major league contract in late April, had been designated for assignment on May 19, after appearing in just nine games and collecting five hits. The 10-year major league veteran cleared waivers, and the Mets attempted to outright him to Triple-A Syracuse.
However, according to the official transactions log on his roster page, Slater elected free agency on Sunday, making him available for all 30 teams to sign to any sort of deal. He was owed $1 million from the start of the season by the Miami Marlins, so the money he made with the Mets is subtracted from that total.
Slater, 33, is a right-handed hitter who at this point in his career will likely see the vast majority of his at-bats against left-handed pitching. The Mets let him go because they wanted a spot on the active roster for 23-year-old prospect Nick Morabito, who has gone 0-for-11 to begin his major league career.
Slater previously played for the San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, and New York Yankees before getting cut by the Mets and Marlins this season. He also spent spring training this year with the Detroit Tigers. He owns a respectable .715 career OPS with 45 home runs and 4.8 bWAR in 720 games.
Though the 22-32 Mets have much bigger problems than Slater choosing to try free agency elsewhere, it never feels great to lose organizational depth, especially when it's a respected veteran.