Mets free agent relief pitchers: 3 we should buy, 2 we should sell on having a good year

Buy into the Shintaro Fujinami signing

Another guy who finished last year with the Orioles was Shintaro Fujinami. He found more success than Lopez did but not noticeable enough where he had teams fighting to sign him this offseason. Wrecked with the Oakland Athletics where he began as a starter, his 8.57 ERA turned into a 4.85 ERA performance when he joined the Orioles for his final 30 games.

A 4.61 FIP versus 7.18 ERA on the season indicates some bad luck for Fujinami. Somewhat self-fulfilling because he did sign with the Athletics after all, he’s someone analytics departments can spin as a favorable addition to the Mets bullpen. Something a little more average with an ERA in the 4.00-4.50 range would be more than acceptable. What makes Fujinami most appealing is he has minor league options. While this does make him a bit expensive for a minor league player if he is sent down (he probably will be for a fresh arm at some point), it comes across as a savvy move for the Mets.

I’ll bite. Fujinami won’t be as unlucky with the Mets as he was with the A’s and O’s. He won’t be excellent in New York, but he will have his moments. Capable of giving the Mets more than a frame at a time, proper usage should be a factor in determining just how good or bad of an addition he becomes.