Latest NY Mets free agent reunion continues to show an eye for future roster plans

Ever since Steve Cohen and David Strean took over the New York Mets, their message has been clear. They want to build a sustainable winner. A team that's going to compete while also making sure they don't jeopardize the future in the process. Basically, they're trying to put the best possible roster on the field, not just for the upcoming season but for years to come.

The Mets continued that plan on Wednesday, signing someone the organization is very familiar with. The Mets have agreed to a minor league contract with Drew Smith, with a club option for 2026. Smith is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery and is unlikely to pitch in 2025, but he can be a solid depth piece in 2026.

How the Drew Smith signing helps the Mets in the future

Smith has been a consistent piece of the Mets bullpen for the past several years. In his six big league seasons, he pitched to a 3.48 ERA with 202 strikeouts to 77 walks, with a 1.278 WHIP and an ERA+ of 115. Although he hasn't been able to repeat the career season he had back in 2021, he's still been one of the more reliable arms out of the pen. Before going down with a torn UCL, he pitched to a 3.06 ERA over 17.2 innings with 23 strikeouts to nine walks, a 1.528 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 131.

He's also a pitcher the Mets and manager Carlos Mendoza feel very comfortable with. When asked about him, Carlos Mendoza had this to say, "This is a guy that, when healthy, takes the ball. It’s sad that he went down the way he went down, but it means a lot to the guys in the locker room. Again, this is a guy who takes the baseball, gives you multiple innings, and gives you high-leverage innings. It doesn’t matter. He’s a gamer.”

The plan for Smith is for him to focus on rehabbing in 2025, then pick up his club option and hope he can be the same pitcher he was before Tommy John surgery. Smith isn't the only pitcher the Mets are using this strategy with. They also signed Adbert Alzolay to a two-year minor league contract back in January. Just like Smith, Alzolay underwent Tommy John towards the end of last year and is expected to miss all of 2025. But the hope is the Mets can rehab him and make him a valuable reliever out of their pen for 2026.

While this seems like a good strategy, it doesn't always work in the team's favor. In fact, the Mets have tried this strategy recently and failed. Back in 2022, the Mets signed reliever John Curtiss to a contract with a club option for 2023. Curtiss spent all of 2022 recovering from Tommy John surgery, and then the Mets gave him a shot in 2023. But Curtiss didn't have the season the Mets hoped. In 19.2 innings, he had an ERA of 4.58 with 16 strikeouts to eight walks, with 1.271 WHIP and an ERA+ of 93. It was not the season the Mets were envisioning when they signed him.

So will these signings help the Mets in 2026, or will it be a repeat of Curtiss. Only time will tell.