Bullpen help could be on the way shortly for the New York Mets.
MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reported on Tuesday afternoon that the Mets signed free-agent reliever Trevor May to a two-year deal that could be made official as early as Wednesday.
It is the first major signing of the Steve Cohen era in Queens as the new Mets owner’s arrival has created the expectation that the team will be active on the free-agent market this offseason.
May spent the first six seasons of his career with the Minnesota Twins and owns a 4.44 career ERA, but his production has seen a noticeable improvement after returning from Tommy John surgery that cost him the entire 2017 season.
In 113 appearances between 2018-2020, the 31-year-old right-hander sported a 3.19 ERA with a WHIP of 1.080 and a strikeouts-per-nine-innings mark of 12.2.
Last season, this K/9 mark was seventh-best in the majors at 14.66 to go with a 3.86 ERA over 23.1 innings of work. He didn’t allow a single earned run in his final eight appearances of 2020 (7.2 innings pitched).
The Mets’ bullpen provided the franchise with one of its Achilles heels in recent years. Last season, their combined ERA of 4.60 ranked 18th in Major League Baseball and lacked dependable late-innings arms as Dellin Betances, Jeurys Familia, and Edwin Diaz struggled.
May did not have a set role in the Twins’ bullpen in 2020, appearing everywhere between the fifth and eighth innings. Should a deal with the Mets be completed, he would likely slot in near that sixth or seventh-inning role.
