The Mets 2024 offseason has been relatively quiet when compared to the previous two.
Despite that, new President of Baseball Operations David Stearns has done a stellar job methodically upgrading the weak points of the roster and has built a squad that not only can compete but can be stripped for prospects if things go wrong.
The blue and orange’s roster is still not complete, as they are looking for another arm to add to the bullpen and have been linked to nearly everyone on the open market, from David Robertson to Aroldis Chapman.
While they did not sign either of those players, they finally added an arm, and he formerly served as the Mets set-up man.
The Mets have reunited with Adam Ottavino.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mets have agreed to a one-year $4.5 million contract with Adam Ottavino pending a physical.
Ottavino originally came to the Mets in 2022 after spending the 2021 campaign pitching for the Boston Red Sox.
The New York City native was stellar in his first season in the Queens, pitching 65.2 innings across 66 games to a 2.06 ERA with a 0.975 WHIP and 79 strikeouts.
The right-hander returned to the Mets following the season on a two-year $14 million deal but took a step back.
Ottavino pitched 61.2 innings across 66 games to a 3.21 ERA with a 1.216 WHIP and 62 strikeouts while picking up 12 saves.
The 38-year-old opted out of the second year of his contract following the end of the 2023 campaign.
What does this mean for the Mets?
This is a solid bullpen addition for the Mets, and they are essentially keeping Ottavino for a $2.5 million discount after the 38-year-old opted out of the remainder of his two-year $14 million deal earlier in the offseason.
Ottavino has shown that he can thrive in New York while also filling different roles in the bullpen effectively, which will be hugely beneficial for new manager Carlos Mendoza as he balances the Mets bullpen for the first time.
In addition, Ottavino signing just a one-year contract allows the blue and orange to ship him off at the trade deadline if the season is not going according to plan.
Overall, it’s a good signing for the Mets, but the more high-quality bullpen arms, the better, so don’t be surprised if they are still in on some of the top remaining ones on the market.
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