NY Mets expand global reach; unearth potential diamond in the rough with IFA signing

The New York Mets have struck out into uncharted waters, signing their first-ever European international amateur free agent, 19-year-old pitcher Matteo Marelli, out of Italy.

The signing marks the culmination of a two-year-long deep dive into the youngster, overseen by Mets scout Rosario Chiovaro, who has watched Marelli go from an unremarkable and raw teenage pitcher into one who has seen his arm come alive with his velocity rising from the mid-80s to 94 miles per hour.

Marelli's repertoire now features five pitches, the best of which might be his kick change that he learned by watching videos on social media. Coming from Italy, where baseball is an afterthought in the athletics landscape, Marelli provides an extremely intriguing lump of clay for the Mets to run through their vaunted pitching lab.

Longtime New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates catcher and Marelli's manager on Italy's U-23 team, Francisco Cervelli, raved about the youngster, saying, "It's easy to see when somebody's different from other people, from other players."

Cervelli would go on to add, "You see a future. It's a very interesting player. And the arm ... (Once he starts) training every day, you're going to see results very quickly." With that said, there's going to be a lot of growing pains once Marelli arrives stateside, but the potential is undeniably exciting.

The Mets are entering the next phase of Steve Cohen's ownership and are working towards being a global force

While many teams have downsized their scouting departments in recent years, the Mets have gone in the opposite direction, investing heavily and bringing in a new international scouting director, James Kang, at the end of last season.

Kang, another in the long list of former Dodgers' employees to make their way to Queens, is yet another step in Cohen's plan to build a Mets dynasty. His first few years had their ups and downs, but after breaking records by signing Juan Soto to the largest contract in baseball history, Cohen is now clearly in his second act.

With what appears to be his long-term general manager by his side in David Stearns, Cohen and the Mets are looking to expand their tentacles around the world, pulling talent from all corners, much like how the Dodgers have cornered the market on the Asian market in recent years.

For the Mets, this goes beyond just finding amateur talent. As Chiovaro put it, the Mets just aren't trying to extend their global reach, but rather they want to be a global brand. Signing an Italian teenager might not seem like much, but it's the first step toward that ultimate goal.

The crosstown rival Yankees' interlocking NY is recognized as iconic worldwide, and if the Mets have their druthers, soon too will their orange version, perhaps one day surpassing the Yankees and Dodgers as the most recognized MLB franchise worldwide. Just like Marelli's pathway to the big leagues, it will be a long road, but one that might end up with a huge payoff.