5 NY Mets free agent signings they should make whether they land Juan Soto or not

3) A.J. Minter

Do you know what would be great? Swiping A.J. Minter away from the Atlanta Braves. It’s not all reunions the Mets should be seeking to sign. Longtime foe, Minter, should be on their wish list and one of the few relievers they should pay a lot of money to add.

Looking at it realistically, we shouldn’t expect the Mets to sign Minter. A lifetime 3.28 ERA with some mild closer experience and some brilliant years in relief for an ultra-competitive team, Minter is the frontline lefty bullpen any team looking to build a complete relief corps should seek to sign. He’ll get the kind of money some closers will receive without the actual task of pitching the ninth inning.

So far, David Stearns has yet to sign a reliever to big money. Having Edwin Diaz make as much money as he does could be a part of the reason. Plus, who really wants to pay a man at a position that can be so fickle as much money as it will cost to sign Minter?

Don’t expect the Mets to pull this off. Rather, look for them to do something sneakier than add one of the best non-closer relievers available in free agency. It can’t be a spring training competition between Danny Young and Genesis Cabrera.