Mets Add Bullpen Depth, Ink Reliever Adam Ottavino To One-Year Deal
Merely a few hours after team owner Steve Cohen indicated that the Mets will likely exceed the $290 million luxury tax threshold, the club added some much-needed bullpen depth.
On Sunday afternoon, the Mets signed right-handed relief pitcher Adam Ottavino to a one-year, $4 million deal which includes $1 million in performance bonuses.
The New York Post's Joel Sherman was the first to report on this agreement and the contract figures.
After signing Ottavino, the Mets' luxury tax payroll is projected to reach $286 million.
However, Cohen, general manager Billy Eppler and co. are not expected to be finished building their major-league roster just yet.
With Ottavino in the mix, the Mets' bullpen features a plethora of righties: Edwin Diaz, Seth Lugo, Trevor May, Miguel Castro and Drew Smith. The belief is that the Mets would still like to add a lefty relief pitcher such as Andrew Chafin or Brad Hand.
The Mets lost longtime reliever Jeurys Familia, who signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the National League East rival Phillies on Saturday. Ottavino was essentially brought in to replace Familia, who gave the Mets 59.2 innings out of the bullpen last year.
Ottavino 36, struck out 71 batters in 62 innings with the Red Sox last season, but had 5.1 walks per nine innings and struggled after posting a 2.68 ERA in the first half of the year. Ottavino is significantly more effective against righties (.219 opposing batting average across 40.2 innings in 2021) than lefties (.274 opposing batting average across 20 innings in 2021).
Ottavino, a Brooklyn native, spent two seasons in the Yankees' bullpen from 2019 to 2020. Now, he will return to New York, but this time in a different borough.
