First major NY Mets free agent signing of the Steve Cohen era turns 5 today

What would be the first New York Mets free agent signing of the Steve Cohen era? It didn’t turn out to be the flashiest addition nor the most effective. An important one nonetheless, December 2, 2020 wasn’t just the day you got a fever and panicked you might have to head to the hospital if things didn’t get better. It marked the beginning of a new age of Mets baseball.

Free agent reliever Trevor May was coming off his sixth season pitching for the Minnesota Twins. A 3.86 ERA the year prior in the pandemic-shortened season but with some signs of being able to do much more, notably with a 2.7 BB/9 and 14.7 K/9, he looked like he had the potential to be one of many impactful bullpen additions for the 2021 Mets. Signed for two years and $15.5 million, May was the first sign of the direction the Mets were headed.

The Trevor May signing was a well-received Mets free agent signing to begin the next chapter in the team's history

May was as good as we could’ve hoped for in year one with the Mets. A 3.59 ERA in 62.2 innings with 11.9 K/9, he was in an above-average Mets bullpen that’s easy to forget all about. Edwin Diaz had his struggles but eventually began to show signs of his eliteness again. Miguel Castro had a solid season leading the team in games and innings as a reliever. Then there was Aaron Loup who miraculously pitched to a 0.95 ERA. Even Jeurys Familia managed to put some sense of credibility to his name in the final year of his three-year deal.

A big but fun personality of May’s would’ve been a nice match for the 2022 Mets. While present, he made it into only 26 games and had a 5.04 ERA. A complete afterthought in the bullpen that season, his tenure in New York was over before it even began. Nothing proves how quickly he was in and out in 2022 than his innings total being just behind Chasen Shreve (26.1) and ahead of Adonis Medina (23.2).

The May signing didn’t send the kind of message to the rest of the league like the trade for Francisco Lindor or the preceding season’s deal with Max Scherzer. The May signing was, however, applauded quickly. Described as “filthy” at the time for all of the right reasons, it was a pleasant addition both for what he brought to the field and locker room. Equally as entertaining off the field and not for drama, he became a must-follow on social media for his observations, including this gem.