The New York Mets have acted swiftly in their pivot from star first baseman Pete Alonso, who the team reportedly gave a deadline to and has since walked away from talks with. After signing outfielder Jesse Winker to bolster the offense, they’ve signed LHP A.J. Minter for their bullpen, giving him a two-year deal valued at $22 million. Last season he posted a 2.62 ERA with the Atlanta Braves, as the left-hander has been a rock-solid weapon for the Mets’ in-division rivals for the last five seasons.
Dating back to 2020, Minter is seventh among left-handed relievers in strikeouts (292) while having the fifth-lowest ERA, and the Mets hope he can be a devastating late-game option for them in the bullpen.
A.J. Minter Joins Mets On Two-Year $22 Million Contract, Opt Out After Year 1
This past season was an interesting one for A.J. Minter, who had a strong ERA (2.62) but posted a negative Win Probability Added (-0.26) as a result of allowing too many home runs. He allowed six in just 34.1 innings as he battled injuries throughout the season, causing his fastball to dip in velocity from 96 MPH to 94.8 MPH, but the Mets are trusting their pitching development to not only get Minter back to his old form but potentially extract even more value.
Signed to a two-year deal with a player option for next season, A.J. Minter is hoping to have a strong year and hit the market again as a 32-year-old, where he would have a chance to make some serious money. This is fine by the Mets, who brought in one-year fliers such as Sean Manaea and Luis Severino who both received three-year deals in free agency after, with the former Yankee starter heading to Oakland and netting David Stearns a compensation pick.
With a nasty cutter and changeup to pair with his four-seam fastball, we could see the Mets decrease the usage of his fastball and increase the usage of his secondaries.
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Whether this removes them from the running for Tanner Scott or not remains to be seen, but the Mets are active on the reliever market and are shopping for upgrades. In addition to the star left-hander, the team has shown interest in David Robertson and Tim Hill as well, who are older names but have shown the ability to record outs sustainably. As for how the rest of their offseason shapes up, the Mets could start waiting on players to have their market collapse.
Stars like Alex Bregman remain on the market, and with less than a month until pitchers and catchers report, players are desperate to find homes. Whether the Mets jump in and grab another bat or starter remains to be seen, but their bullpen is improving and they’ve already brought home the big fish in terms of Juan Soto. They could look for another bat to fill-in at first base if needed, with Anthony Santander being floated out there as a logical solution to their hitting needs.