Inside The Mets

Mets New Reliever A.J. Minter Roasts Yankees Fans

New York Mets reliever A.J. Minter seemed eager to diss the Yankees on January 25.
Grant Young|
May 13, 2024; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher A.J. Minter (33) reacts against the Chicago Cubs during the ninth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images
May 13, 2024; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher A.J. Minter (33) reacts against the Chicago Cubs during the ninth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images | John David Mercer-Imagn Images

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On January 17, it was announced that the New York Mets had signed former Atlanta Braves reliever A.J. Minter to a two-year, $22 million contract.

This signing made a ton of sense for the Mets, who were in desperate need of a left-handed reliever this offseason. While the 31-year-old missed much of the 2024 season due to several injuries, he still produced a very solid 2.62 ERA and 35 strikeouts over 39 appearances (34.1 innings pitched) when he was available for Atlanta.

Minter was present during the Mets' Amazin' Day event at Citi Field on January 25. And something he said will probably endear him to Mets fans — and do the exact opposite for fans of New York's other MLB team.

“You can tell these Mets fans, these are truly baseball fans. They get baseball, not like the other side of town," Minter said, per an X post from SNY. “These are the true die-hard fans, and they’re gonna be with you until the end. I got to face against y’all my whole career, and you always brought it every time, so we can’t wait to pitch for y’all now.”

It's a good thing that Minter was signed by the Mets instead of the Yankees, who are also in the market for a left-handed reliever this offseason. Then again, he surely would have kept this sentiment to himself if he was headed to the Bronx instead of Queens.

It will be interesting to hear whether Yankees fans have bigger boo's for Minter or former Yankees slugger Juan Soto when the Mets come to Yankee Stadium for a three-game series on May 16-18.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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