1 under the radar Mets move that will pay off the biggest this year

The New York Mets have had such a high-profile offseason that there are some under-the-radar moves that they made in the shadows of their big acquisitions as well. One move that will certainly pay off in the long run I believe is their move of claiming reliever Stephen Ridings off waivers from the rival New York Yankees back in November.

While many Mets fans may not be familiar with the 27-year-old relief pitcher, as Ridings missed the entire 2022 campaign due to a shoulder impingement injury, he made an impressive Major League debut back with the Yankees in 2021. Back in 2021 across town, the physically imposing 6'8 220 lbs reliever ended up posting a 1.80 ERA over 5 appearances with 7 strikeouts to 2 walks.

The Mets have a high-upside arm in camp this spring that could make a difference out of the bullpen in 2023

It's also not much a of surprise that Ridings had early success in the Majors as he had a solid season between two levels in the minors in 2021, as he had posted a 1.24 ERA over 22 appearances between Double-A and Triple-A with 42 strikeouts to only 4 walks. Ridings is equipped with a triple-digit fastball as well as a sinker and slider in his repertoire.

While relievers can be volatile from season to season, the Mets have the chance to catch lightning in a bottle with an arm that doesn't have much mileage on it. Ridings has also proven to be successful in the minors as well as impressive in a small sample size at the Major League level.

Ridings may not be the biggest name the Mets acquired this offseason, but he will have every opportunity to win a spot in the Mets' bullpen this spring. The odds will be heavily stacked against him to make the roster right out of camp, but if he is unable to win a spot outright in the spring I would imagine he would be one of the first arms up from Syracuse should the Mets need an arm in the bullpen during the season.

A high-upside pitcher with Minor League options in a league where pitching depth reigns supreme is a win-win situation for the Mets. Look for Stephen Ridings to make his presence felt at some point in 2023 barring injury.