After signing A.J. Minter, NY Mets rumors return to suggest a Danny Young replacement

A.J. Minter didn’t sound completely confident that he’ll be ready for Opening Day. Giving off some vibes of potentially being another Dellin Betances with his comments at Amazin Day, the good news is it would take multiple setbacks for him to be another New York Mets free agent tragedy. We’re far from that.

Meanwhile, as they can do nothing more than allow Minter to rehab from an injury that cost him the final weeks of the 2024 season and pull the page off of their calendar each day to give him time to heal, the team hasn’t backed down from other lefty reliever pursuits. Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated shared a rerun of Mets rumors by naming Tim Hill as someone the team is still hot and bothered by, as are multiple other clubs.

Mets rumors continue to suggest the team will replace Danny Young at some point

Danny Young was not a bad pitcher for the Mets last year. His 4.54 ERA at season’s end doesn’t accurately reflect his importance at times. He was excellent in the middle months, combining for only 3 earned runs in 17.2 innings in July and August. All the while, he had 24 strikeouts. It came sandwiched between two less productive months. Young was knocked around in June and again in September.

As a depth piece, Young is a good arm to have. His minor league option available last year allowed the Mets to demote and promote as needed. He doesn’t have any left heading into 2025 which should have him on the bubble.

However, Young is probably a really good candidate to stick around on the Mets roster until as close to the end of spring training. Minter’s health in question could have him cracking the Opening Day roster only to later get replaced by Minter upon a potential IL stint to begin the year.

Two lefty relievers is an ideal situation. Minter is more of a true setup man anyway with a player like Young and Hill better for the early innings in favorable spots against left-handed hitters. Young’s usage late in the season and into the playoffs when he served exclusively in mop-up duty puts him in a spot where he was already questionable to return. 

We saw the Mets do something similar last preseason with Phil Bickford who competed mildly for a bullpen spot in St. Lucie. Leftover from 2023, he never stood much of a chance of actually making the team. Young’s odds are a bit more favorable at the moment. However, if the Mets add another southpaw to the bullpen, he’s as good as gone barring any health issue with his teammates.