Last year, Jared Young (30), who played for the Doosan Bears in the KBO League, was eventually demoted to the minor leagues. He could have received good treatment if he had stayed in South Korea, but it seems leaving was a mistake.

The New York Mets sent first baseman Jared Young down to Triple-A Syracuse Mets on minor league options along with pitchers Justin Hagenman, Kevin Hergott, and Austin Warren on the 10th (Korean time).

In 10 games (7 starts) during the spring training, Jared recorded a batting average of .211 (4 hits in 19 at-bats), with no home runs, 2 RBIs, 1 run, 3 walks, and 5 strikeouts. He had opportunities as a first baseman (7 games, 5 starts, 33 innings) and designated hitter (3 games, 2 starts), but his hitting was disappointing.

From the game on the 2nd against the Tampa Bay RAYS to the 8th against the Washington Nationals, he struggled with 0 hits in 8 at-bats over 5 games. On the 9th, he started as the designated hitter in the seventh spot against the Miami Marlins and finally got a hit with a clutch single in his last at-bat in the sixth inning, but he could not avoid demotion to the minors.

Jared, a left-handed first baseman and corner outfielder from Canada, came to Korea last July as a replacement foreign player for Doosan. In his second game on July 31 against the KIA in Gwangju, he made a strong impression with a multi-home run performance, going 5-for-6 with 8 RBIs and 2 walks, leading Doosan to a 30-6 victory and quickly adapting. His overall season statistics included a batting average of .326 (47 hits in 144 at-bats), 10 home runs, and 39 RBIs over 38 games, achieving excellent results.

He was negotiating with Doosan as a candidate for re-signing, but negotiations fell through after Jared's side demanded a higher salary than expected. Although his performance was good, it was only over a small sample of 38 games, and it couldn't justify guaranteeing a high salary exceeding $1 million. Meanwhile, Doosan was connected with outfielder Jake Cave, who played full-time as a Major Leaguer last year. Doosan boldly forfeited Jared by signing Cave for $1 million.

After failing to re-sign, Jared had some alternatives. He signed with the Mets last December, where he could earn $1.15 million if he played full time in the Major Leagues, but would earn $425,000 if he remained in the minor leagues. Still, he hoped to receive some opportunity being included in the 40-man roster, but the re-signing of free agent Pete Alonso with the Mets caused trouble.

Alonso, a 'slugger' with 226 home runs who played as the starting first baseman for the Mets for six years since 2019, faced challenges in the free agent market and signed a contract with the Mets on the 6th of last month for $54 million over 2 years, including an opt-out clause. This was a direct blow to Jared, who had signed with the Mets as a first baseman.

On the 21st of last month, Jared expressed his determination through a media outlet called 'Kiner's Corner,' which covers Mets news, stating, "I think utility is a good position for me. Since Alonso will start almost every game as the first baseman, I need to establish my role as a role player." However, the Mets had abundant resources in corner outfielders like Juan Soto, Brandon Nimmo, Jesse Winker, and Starling Marte, leaving no room for Jared to play. He only played as a first baseman and designated hitter during spring training. With no competitive hitting performance, he ultimately received notice of his demotion to Triple-A. Consequently, his salary will also be reduced. The later the call-up to the big leagues, the more his salary could be cut by more than half.

Meanwhile, left-handed pitcher Brandon Waddell (31), who spent three years with Doosan from 2022 to last year, also came to the Mets on a minor league contract for spring training but was sent down to the minor camp on the same day as Jared. Brandon recorded an earned run average of 5.40 over 2 spring training games (1 start). On the 26th of last month, he started against the Houston Astros, pitching 1⅓ innings with 2 hits, 1 walk, and 2 earned runs (none), and against the Boston Red Sox on the 3rd, he pitched 2 innings with 3 hits, 1 walk, and 2 earned runs.

Brandon, who had contracts twice during the season as an alternate player with Doosan, performed well over three years with a record of 43 games (244⅔ innings), 23 wins, and 10 losses with an earned run average of 2.98, tallying 215 strikeouts. However, despite a strong record of 7 wins and 4 losses with an earned run average of 3.12 in 14 games (75 innings) during the season he first started together last year, injuries became an issue. He was self-released due to shoulder pain in the first game of a doubleheader against Samsung on June 23, and underwent examinations that diagnosed him with subscapularis damage. While an initial rehabilitation guideline of 6 weeks was given, pain recurred during the rehabilitation process leading to a delayed return and ultimately season-ending.

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