Justin Wilson is on the precipice of reuniting a New York team but it’s with the Yankees, not the Mets, as many originally anticipated.
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman confirmed on Monday that the Yankees are closing in on a deal with the veteran left-handed reliever despite the Mets having shown interest in recent days.
The 33-year-old pitched one season for the Yankees back in 2015, posting a 5-0 record with a 3.10 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 61 innings pitched. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers after that season for Luis Cessa and Chad Green.
Wilson owns a career 3.27 ERA and 1.279 WHIP where he has predominantly pitched in the seventh and eighth innings.
Following stints with Detroit and the Chicago Cubs, Wilson signed with the Mets as a free agent prior to the 2019 season.
He was an invaluable part of their bullpen down the stretch of a season two years ago that fell just short of a wild-card berth, though he was overworked at times by former manager Mickey Callaway. Of those 45 appearances, 30 came zero or one day of rest.
Regardless, Wilson posted a 2.45 ERA in 45 appearances with a 1.333 WHIP and 44 strikeouts.
Last season saw Luis Rojas use Wilson in 23 of the Mets’ 60 games where his ERA swelled to 3.66, though his WHIP remained similar at 1.373.
Now heading to the Bronx, Wilson provides the Yankees with another late-inning, left-handed option.
While Aroldis Chapman will continue to have the closer’s role cemented, Wilson will provide Aaron Boone with more of an opportunity to keep Zack Britton fresh as he is the Yankees’ premier seventh-to-eighth-inning southpaw option.
Britton has a 1.90 ERA and a 1.108 WHIP over the last two seasons that have featured 86 appearances with 69 strikeouts.
The parameters of Wilson’s potential deal with the Yankees are unknown at this time.
