PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The Mets have picked up just where they left off before the lockout: being active on the free agency market and filling necessary cracks in the roster.
Right-handed reliever Adam Ottavino is joining the Mets on a one-year deal, according to multiple reports. The deal has not yet been made official by the Mets, but it is reportedly worth $4 million.
Ottavino, 36, will join a Mets bullpen that features all right-handers: Edwin Diaz, Seth Lugo, Miguel Castro and Trevor May.
After southpaw reliever Aaron Loup somewhat surprisingly left the Mets and joined the Angels on a two-year, $17 million deal in November, the Mets deeply needed to address their bullpen. Loup was the Amazin’s best pitcher in 2021, and it will be no easy task replacing him. While Ottavino certainly solidifies the relief corps following Loup’s departure, expect GM Billy Eppler to continue looking for a left-handed reliever.
Ottavino, the former Yankees reliever, posted a 4.21 ERA in 69 relief appearances, including 11 saves, for the Red Sox last season. The righty was decent in 2021, improved from his ugly 2020 season in the Bronx, albeit with middling results. In Boston, where he was widely praised as a veteran clubhouse leader, his strikeout rate dipped and his walk rate increased.
But when Ottavino is at his best, he hurls a filthy slider and induces weak contact, which will be a nice complement in the Mets bullpen. Ottavino finished 2021 strong, giving up just one run on three hits in five postseason relief appearances and four October innings. For the Mets, one positive is that Ottavino has avoided missing significant, or any, time due to injury in the past few seasons.
