The New York Mets have bolstered their bullpen by signing left-handed reliever A.J. Minter to a two-year, $22 million deal, in what appears to be the start of the post-Pete Alonso era for the Queens team.
Minter has the option to opt out of the contract at the end of the 2025 MLB season, MLB.com reported.
A.J. Minter is an American professional baseball pitcher who plays for the Atlanta Braves in Major League Baseball (MLB)
A.J. Minter, one of the Atlanta Braves most reliable and effective relievers during his time with the team, has posted a 3.28 ERA with 422 strikeouts in 348.2 innings since his Major League debut in 2017.
The left-hander has been used mainly as a middle reliever and has occasionally closed games, in which he has a total of 15 saves in the 2018 season.
In 2024, he made 39 appearances on the mound and recorded a 5-4 record in wins and losses, as well as an ERA of 2.62 and 35 strikeouts in 34.1 innings of work.
In his last 19 appearances of the 2024 season, he allowed only three earned runs.
When healthy, Minter has three effective pitches: a fastball that generally sits around 96 mph, a changeup that held hitters to a .120 average in 2024, and a cutter with which he has generated a whiff rate of up to 38%.
He has also proven to be very effective in the postseason, as in 20 appearances on the mound and 25 innings in the playoffs, he has a 2.88 ERA in addition to 36 strikeouts, and his opponents have hit just a poor .185 batting average.
The left-handed reliever’s injuries in recent seasons
The problem for the reliever has been injuries, especially in the last two seasons; a hip problem in 2024 forced him to miss action in June, and his season ended in August when it was revealed that he would require surgery.
In the 2023 season, a shoulder injury kept him out for two weeks in July.
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