A better Braves free agent match for the Mets to sign than Max Fried

Fans take it almost as an insult when a New York Mets free agent leaves the team and goes to the New York Yankees. It works the other direction, too. We’re going to see plenty of Juan Soto jerseys dragged behind the back of cars in the Bronx if he ends up in Queens.

What about players who go from the Atlanta Braves to the Mets? More true rivals because they play within the same division, it doesn’t seem to happen too commonly on a large scale. There are players like Luis Guillorme who might leave us and end up in Atlanta. It just doesn’t seem to happen more often, maybe in part because the Braves do such a good job at keeping their players.

Max Fried is one of their top free agents this offseason. While certainly a fit for the Mets in the rotation, they have an even better match.

Braves free agent A.J. Minter would look really good coming out of the Mets bullpen

A.J. Minter’s time with the Braves could be over. After parts of 8 seasons in Atlanta, he hits the open market ready to dazzle out of someone else’s bullpen. About as consistent as it can get for a non-closer, Minter leaves the Braves with a career 3.28 ERA in 348.2 innings. His lone hiccup came in 2019 when hitters knocked him around for a 7.06 ERA in 29.1 innings. He hasn’t seen a year end with the ERA going above 3.78 in any other season.

Minter’s season was cut short in 2024 due to hip surgery in August. A large enough sample should help make him a popular asset in free agency. He was 5-4 with a 2.62 ERA in 34.1 innings. The lefty hurler did see his strikeout totals drop to a career-low 9.2 while maintaining a solid 2.9 walks per 9 along the way. His biggest problem was the home run ball. He averaged more than double his career total of 0.7 per 9. His abbreviated season ended at 1.6 dingers per 9.

The absence of a truly superb lefty out of the bullpen is something Mets fans have become all too familiar with. We had Brooks Raley in 2023. But this last year, following his injury, it was all about relying on Jake Diekman and later Danny Young. Previous seasons have included players like Joely Rodriguez riding out the year as the most used lefty reliever. It hasn’t doomed the Mets in the three-batter minimum era. It hasn’t given them what feels like a complete bullpen either.

Relievers, even one of Minter’s caliber, typically only receive a two or three-year deal at the most. MLB Trade Rumors predicts he’ll get a two-year deal worth $16 million. His track record says he’s worth it.