The intention wasn’t for a Friday news dump. Nevertheless, the New York Mets gave us something new to talk about on Friday night other than speculation about who’ll be on first next year.
According to The Athletic’s Will Sammon, the Mets and free agent Adbert Alzolay have agreed to a two-year deal on a minor league contract.
In recovery mode and possibly sidelined for all of 2024, it’s a big picture type of addition that comes with no risk and a whole lot of reward. Alzolay was a stud in the bullpen for the Chicago Cubs in 2023, his one full season in the majors as a reliever. He was 2-5 with a 2.67 ERA with 22 saves in 64 innings of work. Hoping to assist in his rehab back to what he was, the Mets gave us an overdue free agent signing we can park on the depth chart of the future.
The Mets give us Adbert Alzolay after not landing Brandon Woodruff last offseason in a similar situation
The Alzolay signing isn’t clever. It’s just good. On a minor league pact, what do they have to lose? Steve Cohen literally spends as much as Alzolay will likely earn in 2025 on library fines annually. It’s a good move by Cohen to have the willingness to pay, by David Stearns to seek him out, and a solid representation of the organization. This wasn’t exactly a bidding war. Surely, other teams would have made similar pitches.
Last offseason, it was Brandon Woodruff Mets fans were pleading to see signed by the Mets. Connecting him back to Stearns from their days in Milwaukee together was only natural—the same way many believed Corbin Burnes would be the next big Mets ace. Woodruff was in a much different position as a well-established starting pitcher for several years with the Brewers. Shoulder surgery in 2023 would keep him out for all of 2024. He wasn’t left unsigned, however. The Brewers gave him $2.5 million to sit out last year. He’ll earn another $5 million in 2025 with a mutual option for $20 million in 2026 with a $10 million buyout.
What the Mets did is the same but on a much smaller scale. Alzolay can turn out to be just as irrelevant as Julio Teheran or as crucial to the team’s success as Jose Iglesias. Rehabbing from Tommy John surgery is an arduous adventure. We hope to see the Mets help defend their championship in 2026.