FLUSHING, N.Y., – The New York Mets today announced that the club has acquired right-handed pitcher Phil Bickford and left-handed pitcher Adam Kolarek from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations.
Bickford, 28, was designed for assignment by the Dodgers on July 29. He appeared in 36 games with Los Angeles and went 2-3 with a 5.14 ERA (24 ER/42.0 IP) with 26 walks and 48 strikeouts. Over four seasons with the Brewers (2020-2021) and Dodgers (2021-2023), Bickford owns an 8-6 record with a save, a 4.40 ERA (76 ER/155.1 IP) with 59 walks and 176 strikeouts. He was originally selected by the San Francisco Giants with the 18th overall pick in the 2015 First Year Player Draft out of the College of Southern Nevada.
Kolarek, 34, spent the majority of the 2023 season with the Oklahoma City Dodgers, the team’s Triple-A affiliate. In 33 games in the Pacific Coast League, the lefty went 0-3 with a 2.40 ERA (8 ER/30.0 IP) with 17 walks and 26 strikeouts. He has appeared in 171 career major league games with Tampa Bay (2017-2019), Los Angeles-NL (2019-2020, 2023) and Oakland (2021-2022), posting an 11-4 record with four saves, a 3.73 ERA (60 ER/144.2 IP) with 42 walks and 96 strikeouts. He has limited left-handed hitters to a .190/.242/.359 slashline over his career.
A Baltimore native, Kolarek was originally drafted by the Mets in the 11th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft from the University of Maryland.
