NEW YORK — Relief pitcher Jorge López and the New York Mets finalized their $2 million, one-year contract on Thursday.
López offers the Mets one other skilled arm as they rebuild their bullpen depth with low-cost castoffs.
The right-hander pitched for 3 playoff groups final season, going 6-2 with a 5.95 ERA and three saves in 61 aid appearances for Minnesota, Miami and Baltimore.
López, who turns 31 in February, moved completely to the bullpen in 2022 and was a dominant nearer for the Orioles throughout 4 breakout months that earned him an All-Star choice. Baltimore traded him to the Twins in early August that yr and he completed 4-7 with a 2.54 ERA and 23 saves in 67 video games.
Besides that, he’s largely struggled in eight main league seasons. López is 22-40 with a 5.51 ERA and 27 saves in 230 video games, together with 58 begins, for Milwaukee, Kansas City, Baltimore, Minnesota and Miami. He pitched for the Brewers when their basic supervisor was David Stearns, the Mets’ new president of baseball operations.
Stearns traded López and outfielder Brett Phillips to Kansas City in July 2018 for infielder Mike Moustakas.
López might earn a distinguished position in a Mets bullpen with holes to fill behind star nearer Edwin Díaz and lefty Brooks Raley. Right-handers Drew Smith and Phil Bickford return, and Stearns additionally signed free brokers Austin Adams and Michael Tonkin to large league contracts this fall.
New York relievers ranked twenty second within the majors with a 4.45 ERA final season.
López was traded from the Twins to the Marlins in late July, then claimed off waivers by Baltimore on Sept. 2. Ineligible for the postseason roster as a result of he didn’t rejoin the group till September, he was assigned outright to Triple-A Norfolk by the AL East champion Orioles in early October and selected to turn into a free agent as an alternative.
