3 affordable free agents we’re almost surprised the NY Mets didn’t sign this winter

3) Danny Coulombe

Similar to Finnegan, Danny Coulombe is another reliever who earned himself a one-year contract. While Coulombe was a solid reliever over the past few seasons, there were concerns due to his age and missing part of 2024 after having surgery to remove bone chips from his pitching elbow. This limited his market and forced him to take a one-year deal worth $3 million.

Coulombe has proven to be a worthwhile gamble. Despite being on the injured list, he's pitched 16 and 2/3 innings, he has not allowed an earned run, with 19 strikeouts, two walks, and a WHIP of 0.600. His cutter has become a lot more efficient since 2024. It's always been Coulombe's go-to pitch, throwing it over 30% of the time since learning it in 2023. However, this is the best iteration we've seen of his cutter, with opposing batters having a .160 batting average against it.

The Mets desperately need a lefty reliever like Coulombe. With both A.J. Minter and Danny Young out for the season, the Mets have had to rely on unproven minor leaguers, like Genesis Cabrera and Jose Castillo, to be the lefties out of the pen. While it has not hurt the Mets yet, they need a more proven lefty if they want to make a deep playoff run. Coulombe could have filled that role and allowed the Mets to put resources into other positions of need.