Inside The Mets

Mets Sign Intriguing Veteran Reliever to Two-Year Deal

The New York Mets signed another potential low-risk, high-reward reliever on Friday in Adbert Alzolay.
Grant Young|
Apr 13, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Adbert Alzolay (73) celebrates following the final out of 4-1 victory against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Apr 13, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Adbert Alzolay (73) celebrates following the final out of 4-1 victory against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

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The New York Mets have been busy when it comes to signing relievers over the past week.

On January 17, it was announced that New York signed elite left-handed hurler and former Atlanta Braves reliever AJ Minter to a two-year, $22 million deal.

This was a big signing for the Mets, as they desperately needed a southpaw arm who could be relied upon to get some of baseball's best left-handed hitters (specifically those on the Los Angeles Dodgers) late in games.

And that wasn't the only reliever signing New York has made over the past week. The Athletic's Will Sammon broke news on X January 24 by writing, "The Mets and RHP Adbert Alzolay agreed to a minors deal, league sources told The Athletic. It’s a two-year deal; Alzolay had Tommy John surgery last year."

This is an intriguing signing for the Mets, if only because Alzolay is coming off the Tommy John surgery that Sammon mentioned. Therefore, Alzolay likely wouldn't be able to return to the mound until sometime in the middle of the regular season.

But if Alzolay can return to the form he showed during the 2023 season (when he amassed a 2.67 ERA and 22 saves in 58 appearances and 64 innings pitched for the Chicago Cubs), he could end up being a major asset in the back of the Mets' bullpen by the end of the 2025 regular season.

It will be interesting to see if the Mets will look to add additional relievers this offseason or whether they're content with the bullpen they've got heading into the 2025 campaign.

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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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