Ranking the 5 best Mets free agent signings of players born in the Dominican Republic

The New York Mets are poised to have a highly active offseason after falling short of reaching the World Series. While looking at the free agent market, they would also consider some talent from the Dominican Republic, like Juan Soto, for instance.

The team has a rich history of signing players from there. Some players have come and gone but exceeded expectations during their time with the team. There were challenges these players had to adapt to when coming to play for a big market team. These challenges include being able to handle the pressure. Pressure is going to be a thing when it comes to playing a big market team. These players had no issues handling the stress. With that being said, let's look at some of the best free agents that the Mets have signed coming from the Dominican Republic.

5) Jeurys Familia

For two straight seasons between 2015-16, Jeurys Familia was the best closer the Mets ever had coming from the Dominican Republic. New York hasn't had a consistent closer since Billy Wagner's days. Familia joined the team back in 2007 where he was signed as a non-draft free agent. His debut year did not arrive until 2012, and officially became the team's closer back in 2015.

During his time as the Mets’ closer, Jeurys Familia appeared in 315 games and notched 124 saves, which ranks third all-time in franchise history. While Familia was often a reliable presence in the ninth inning, he also had his struggles, recording 26 blown saves during his tenure with the team.

He also played a pivotal role in the team's playoff run back in 2015. Familia recorded the final out of game 4 of the NLCS against the Chicago Cubs to send the Mets to their first World Series since 2000. Unfortunately, Familia's best days would drop drastic after the 2016 season. Later as the years went by, we saw many blown saves leading the team to trade him to the Oakland Athletics. In return of the trade, New York received prospect Will Toffey and some international money. Still, he had a great run with the Mets.