Steven Matz says goodbye following trade: 'I’ll always be grateful to the Mets for the opportunity to play for my hometown team'

Less than 24 hours after Steven Matz was traded from the Mets to the Toronto Blue Jays, the left-handed pitcher said his goodbyes – at least publicly – to his former teammates and coaches, as well as to Mets fans.

“I’ll always be grateful to the Mets for the opportunity to play for my hometown team,” Matz tweeted on Thursday. “Thank you to Mets fans for all your support throughout my time in NY. And thanks to all my teammates and coaches — I wish you all nothing but the best of luck moving forward!”

Matz was dealt to the Jays on Wednesday night, with New York receiving three right-handed pitching prospects, including Sean Reid-Foley, who was already pitched in the majors with Toronto.

A Stony Brook, N.Y. native, Matz was originally drafted by the Mets in the second round of the 2009 draft, working his way up through the minors before making his debut with the Mets on June 28, 2015 against the Cincinnati Reds.

Matz appeared in 112 games over his six seasons in Queens, including 107 starts. Overall, he pitched to a 4.35 ERA and 1.320 WHIP.